A glimpse at the Australian Health Information Workforce: findings from the first Australian census

The Australian Health Information Workforce is a critical discipline in the health sector as the investment in digital technologies increases. Yet historically there was no standardized reporting about the workforce and its six professional areas: clinical coding, costing analysts, data analysts, health informaticians, health information managers and health librarians. This paper presents the findings from the inaugural Australian Health Information Workforce Census. Analysis of 1,596 responses indicates this is an aging (56.1% ≥45 years) workforce with a large (78.1%) female population. Working in permanent (82%), public hospital (72%) roles, in professional or managerial roles (84%). The majority (93.2%) of respondents hold a tertiary qualification in health information, one-quarter of these at masters or doctoral level. Fewer than 30% of respondents hold a health information credential from a professional or industry association. The data from the ongoing national census will inform workforce planning and enable forecasting of the future workforce needs.