Latest National Nursing Workforce Dataset Released
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra), has now published the 2025 data from the annual registration process, together with data from a workforce survey that is voluntarily completed at the time of registration, to form the National Health Workforce Dataset (NHWDS). Data includes demographic and employment information for registered health professionals. This provides a useful snapshot of the nursing profession currently working in Australia.
CNSA has compiled this data to provide a snapshot of the Cancer Nursing Workforce in Australia, which provides demographics and patterns in the changing profession, helping to identify shifts in workforce demographics, practice settings, and distribution. This data helps us to map trends in the cancer nursing workforce and understand how the profession is changing over time. This is paramount to workforce planning and the development of initiatives aimed at ensuring a sustainable workforce that can deliver optimal outcomes for all people affected by cancer.
CNSA is pleased to report that the data show an increase in the cancer nursing workforce to a total of 8,828 employed nurses working in cancer care in Australia in 2025, which represents a 6.7% year-on-year increase. This represents a promising sign that recruitment and retention strategies are having a positive impact on the sustainability of the workforce. The government recently released the National Nursing Workforce Strategy, which will hopefully be accompanied by an implementation plan that outlines initiatives aimed at helping grow and support the future sustainability of the whole nursing workforce.
It is also encouraging to report that there has been an increase in the number of registered nurse practitioners (NPs) employed in Australia and working in cancer care, representing around 93 nurses. This is especially promising as it demonstrates growth in the workforce since the launch of the Nurse Practitioner Workforce Plan in 2023, which aimed to expand the services of NPs as a way of addressing increasing demands for health and aged care and chronic workforce shortages across the country. As a result of that plan, the government implemented several initiatives to support and grow the workforce by expanding NPs’ scope of practice and introducing incentives such as an increase in MBS rebates for their services to enable NPs to provide people with direct access to safe, quality care.
We encourage you to explore the data insights that support your understanding of the demographics of the cancer nursing workforce in Australia.
