The number of registered optometrists in Australia has surpassed 7,000, according to the latest official statistics, as the proportion of female optometrists nears 60%.
The numbers are detailed in the Optometry Board of Australia’s quarterly statistics covering the 1 October 2023 to 31 December 2023 period.
The number of registered optometrists continues to climb, now reaching 7,083. Compared to the same time last year, that’s 287 more optometrists, a 4% jump.
Optometry Australia CEO Ms Skye Cappuccio said the sector had significant growth in the optometry workforce in recent years, which is expected to continue.
“Workforce growth is primarily being driven by increasing graduate numbers, rather than by immigration,” she said.
“As a result, we see increasingly higher number of younger optometrists in the workforce – over a quarter of Australian optometrists are now 29 years or under. An important focus for us as an association is ensuring we are supporting younger members navigate the early years of their career, and to ensure there are opportunities for them to pursue fulfilling careers.”
Anecdotally, universities are reporting high employment rates among their optometry graduates.
The nation’s newest optometry school, the University of Western Australia, recently celebrated its first graduate cohort. All 40 students secured employment, with 90% staying to work in WA.
Although there’s debate about whether Australia needs more optometrists, in 2023 Specsavers commissioned Deloitte Access Economics to conduct another workforce report.
It forecasted a shortage of 1,102 full time equivalent (FTE) optometrists in 2042, representing an undersupply of more than 1.5 million clinical optometry hours, or approximately a 12% shortage, compared to the total hours of eyecare expected to be in demand by Australians by then.
Meanwhile, the latest OBA statistics showed the state or territory with the largest increase in optometrists was Victoria, with 108 more than a year ago, taking its total to 1,965.
NSW had the most optometrists overall with 2,207, climbing by 55 during the past 12 months, followed by Queensland 1,413 (up by 34), South Australia 479 (up by 32), Western Australia 558 (30), Northern Territory 40 (up by four), and ACT 110 (down by nine).
Feminisation of the workforce also continues. There are now 4,188 registered optometrists – representing 59% of the workforce – and 2,895 male practitioners.
The latest report also included statistics on optometrists who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, of which 14 said they do.
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