This page provides information and data on the Ambulance and Paramedic sector and workforce.
The Ambulance and Paramedic sector delivers fundamental pre-hospital and out-of-hospital care services. Services can be provided in both emergency and non-emergency scenarios, and workers in the sector carry out important roles in terms of injury/illness prevention, health promotion and the determination of patients' long-term outcomes.
Volunteering is a significant practice across the sector, particularly in operational roles.
The Ambulance and Paramedic Training Package Products include seven qualifications that support pathways to employment in various job roles across the sector. The Ambulance and Paramedic Industry Reference Committee (IRC) has responsibility for these seven qualifications within the HLT – Health Training Package.
In October 2020, the Australian Industry and Skills Committee approved the new release of the Ambulance and Paramedic qualifications and associated units of competency. This release was endorsed by state and territory Ministers in late 2020.
For information on other health-related training and employment, visit the Health industry page and the various sectors.
All data sources are available at the end of the page.
Employment levels for Ambulance Officers and Paramedics have fluctuated between 2002 and 2022, with an overall upward trend. In 2022, there were 20,600 Ambulance Officers and Paramedics according to data from the National Skills Commission. By 2026, it is projected the employment level will increase slightly to 21,000.
In 2021, there were approximately 4,920 program enrolments in Ambulance and Paramedic-related qualifications. The overall trend for both enrolments and completions between 2017 and 2021 is upward. Completions increased between 2020 and 2021, from approximately 2,630 to 2,900.
Approximately 30% of enrolments were at the certificate III level in 2021, followed by nearly 29% at certificate II, and around 22% at diploma or higher level. Program enrolments in 2021 were mainly spread across four qualification clusters, with approximately 29% of enrolments in First Response-related qualifications, followed by 22% in Emergency Health Care-related qualifications, and Non-emergency Transport-related qualifications, and 21% in Health Care and Basic Health Care-related qualifications. The main intended occupation was Ambulance Officer, followed by Emergency Service Worker.
Overall, nearly half of the training delivered in 2021 was by private training providers (49%), followed by enterprise providers (20%). Universities (15%) and community education providers (14%) delivered nearly equal proportions of qualifications. Nearly four-fifths (79%) of funding for subjects was domestic fee for service in 2021, with approximately one-fifth (21%) government subsidised.
Victoria had the highest proportion of students enrolled in Ambulance and Paramedic-related qualifications (35%) in 2021, followed by New South Wales and Western Australia with 14% each.
Approximately 37% of training was delivered in Victoria, followed by Western Australia (20%), and Queensland (16%).
There were insufficient enrolments in apprenticeships or traineeships to allow analysis.
For more data specific to your occupation, industry group or training package, visit NCVER’s Data Builder.
For more data specific to your region please visit NCVER’s Atlas of Total VET.
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The Ambulance and Paramedic IRC's 2019 Skills Forecast was the most recently published skills forecast by the IRC, as of September 2022. It identified the top priority skills for the sector as critical thinking, emotional intelligence, problem solving, self-management, and teamwork and communication.
The top five identified generic skills are:
According to the job vacancy data, the top requested skills by employers in the sector were communication skills, followed by research and mentoring. The top occupations were Paramedic, followed by Intensive Care Paramedic. The top employers were the Tasmanian Government, followed by New South Wales Government and the Order of St John.
According to the Ambulance and Paramedic IRC's 2019 Skills Forecast the sector has been experiencing several challenges which are impacting workforce skills requirements, including:
The transition to practice can be difficult for graduates of the Ambulance and Paramedic Training Package Products. The Ambulance and Paramedic IRC's 2019 Skills Forecast reports there are not nearly enough apprenticeship training in the sector. Exposure to the workplace environment is more commonly gained through experiences such as volunteering, traineeships and on-the-job training. To ease graduates’ transition into practice for Ambulance and Paramedic Training Package, it would be productive to consider work placement during study to establish job-related foundational knowledge and experience before graduates enter the workforce.
Separately, an Ernst & Young Australia report Country Ambulance Strategy: Driving Equity for Country WA, examined the goal of a sustainable and skilled workforce capable of meeting the needs of the state’s population then and into the future. It found the volunteer model is the foundation of the country ambulance service and there was wide-spread concern about the future supply of volunteers. Further, the lack of alignment between qualifications and nationally recognised course made it difficult to structure a career pathway, the need for national recognition of volunteer training and improved career pathways. The report made recommendations to address the issues and concerns raised.
Mental-health related presentations account for a considerable proportion of paramedic’s prehospital care workload. Research examining paramedics’ perceived confidence and preparedness in metropolitan and rural areas revealed significant gender and regional differences. Support, education and training are needed to increase the confidence of the portion of paramedic workforce comprising younger females, and the confidence and preparedness of paramedics, who were generally older and have fewer qualifications in regional, rural and remote areas.
The nature of providing pre-hospital and out-of-hospital health care services involves a range of everyday stressors such as long hours on shift-work schedules, possible heavy workloads and physically demanding and emotionally challenging shifts. In addition to these relatively common workplace risks, ambulance service-related roles are often the first to respond to an emergency or communicate with distressed patients.
Due to these interactions, individuals in ambulance service-related roles have an increased risk of being repeatedly exposed to traumatic events, such as death or violence, which can trigger increases in workplace stress and can undermine individuals' resilience. These experiences can either have an immediate effect or may build up over weeks, months or years.
The importance of training first responders to develop a range of skills to build resilience and cope with the demands of their jobs is paramount. As such, good practice frameworks have been developed to support first responders and Training Package products should evolve with the strategies outlined in good practice frameworks to maximise workforce wellbeing.
Given the mental health issues that may affect paramedics, there is need to promote positive mental health and well-being among future student paramedics. Findings from the Preparing Student Paramedics for the Mental Health Challenges of the Profession by Using the Wisdom of the Experienced suggest there is widespread recognition for the need to include preparation for mental health challenges within accredited tertiary paramedic courses. Extensive advice based on paramedics’ lived experiences comprised of three themes; support, health and profession. These findings were mapped against the aims of Australia’s current Mental Health Policy to provide evidence-based and policy-informed guidelines for integration into tertiary paramedicine curricula.
In December 2018, paramedicine became a nationally regulated profession and paramedics are required to register and satisfy registration requirements to work as a paramedic. One of the mandatory registration standards is continuing professional development. Attitudes Towards Continuing Professional Development: a Qualitative Study of Australian Paramedics explored the attitudes and perceptions of a small group of paramedics.
For the VET sector, mapping VET qualifications across registration requirements and, more widely, across the post-registration occupational environment is important to be able to gain an understanding of the supportive ways in which the Training Package Products can contribute to facilitating career pathways.
Australia’s population, like most developed nations, is ageing. Demand for ambulance services are among the many health services which are expected to significantly increase due to the growing ageing population and the related trend in favour of senior Australians continuing to live independently in their own homes.
The evolution of paramedicine and the role of paramedics presents new opportunities for paramedics. The Paramedic Workforce in Rural, Regional and Remote Australia highlights the workforce’s diversity and opportunity to use paramedics in new roles and settings can be used to advantage. Paramedics can and, in some cases, are increasingly operating is in palliative care and/or at the end of life to manage chronic pain and complex health needs. This was explored in The Role of Paramedics in Palliative Care and materials designed to guide paramedics in their role in community palliative care are being developed, such as NSW Ambulance’s A Guide to Paramedics’ Role in Palliative Care.
Below is a list of industry-relevant research, organisations and associations. Hyperlinks have been included where available.
A Guide to Paramedics’ Role in Palliative Care – NSW Ambulance
Attitudes Towards Continuing Professional Development: a Qualitative Study of Australian Paramedics – Brett Williams and Tanya Edlington
Characteristics of Confidence and Preparedness in Paramedics in Metropolitan, Regional, and Rural Australia to Manage Mental-Health-Related Presentations: A Cross-Sectional Study – Kate Edmond, Melanie Bish, Michael Savic, Dan Lubman, Terence McCann, Karen Smith and George Mnatzaganian
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information for Paramedics and Ambulance First Responders – Australian Government Department of Health
COVID-19 Paramedic Updates – Australian College of Paramedic Practitioners
Pandemic Pupils: COVID-19 and the Impact on Student Paramedics – Australasian Journal of Paramedicine
Preparing Student Paramedics for the Mental Health Challenges of the Profession by Using the Wisdom of the Experienced – Lisa Holmes, Natalie Ciccone, Richard Brightwell and Lynne Cohen
Responding to a Cardiac Arrest: Keeping Paramedics Safe During the COVID-19 Pandemic – Steve Whitfield, Alexander MacQuarrie and Malcolm Boyle
Responding to Cardiac Arrest: Keeping Paramedics Safe During the COVID-19 Pandemic – Australasian Journal of Paramedicine.
Responding to COVID-19 – Australian Health Practitioner Registration AgencyThe Country Ambulance Strategy: Driving Equity for Country WA– Ernst & Young, Australia
The Paramedic Workforce in Rural, Regional and Remote Australia – National Rural Health Alliance
The Role of Paramedics in Palliative Care – Susan Gravier and Andrew Noble
Australian Government Department of Defence
Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care
Northern Territory Government Department of Health
Tasmanian Government Department of Health
Victoria Government Department of Health and Human Services
Western Australia Government Department of Health
Australasian College of Paramedicine
The Council of Ambulance Authorities (CAA)
Ambulance Employees Association of South Australia (AEA)
Australian Paramedics Association (NSW)
Australian Paramedics Association (Queensland)
Health and Community Services Union (HACSU)
National Council of Ambulance Unions
Transport Workers’ Union (TWU)
Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS)
National Skills Commission 2022, Occupation Employment Projections viewed 10 August 2022, https://www.nationalskillscommission.gov.au/topics/employment-projections
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2022, 6291.0.55.001 - EQ08 - Employed persons by Occupation unit group of main job (ANZSCO), Sex, State and Territory, August 1986 onwards, viewed 1 August 2022, https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-australia-detailed/may-2022
Training data has been extracted from the National VET Provider Collection, Total VET Students and Courses from the following training package or qualifications:
This includes superseded qualifications and training packages.
Data covers a range of selected student and training characteristics in the following categories and years:
Total VET students and courses data is reported for the calendar year. Program enrolments are the qualifications, courses and skill-sets in which students are enrolled in a given period. For students enrolled in multiple programs, all programs are counted. Program completion indicates that a student has completed a structured and integrated program of education or training. Location data uses student residence. Subject enrolment is registration of a student at a training delivery location for the purpose of undertaking a module, unit of competency or subject. For more information on the terms and definitions, please refer to the Total VET students and courses: terms and definitions document.
Low counts (less than 5) are not reported to protect client confidentiality.
Percentages are rounded to one decimal place. This can lead to situations where the total sum of proportions in a chart may not add up to exactly 100%.
Job vacancy data have been extracted from Lightcast 2022, Labor Insight Real-time Labor Market Information Tool, Boston, viewed August 2022, https://lightcast.io/apac.
Data shown represent most requested generic skills and occupations according to internet job postings in Australia between July 2019 and June 2022 filtered by ANZSIC and ANZSCO classification levels listed below.
ANZSCO occupations have been used as industry filters because they provide more relevant job vacancy data for this sector.
