Australia's Chinese medicine workforce is quietly contracting, according to a new study combining a national practitioner survey with a decade of registration data. The research, published in BMC Health Services Research as part of the Workforce Retention and Attrition Project, found that the number of registered Chinese medicine practitioners per 100,000 population fell by 5.1 percent between 2014 and 2023, while replacement rates dropped by 52.9 percent over the same period. The study drew on two complementary sources.
In 2024, the researchers conducted an online survey of Chinese medicine practitioners across Australia, gathering 1,366 responses. They then analysed ten years of registration records held by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, the national body that oversees registration under the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme. Together, the survey and registration data offered both a snapshot of practitioners' intentions and a retrospective view of how the profession has actually changed over time.
The survey results suggest that most practitioners want to remain in the profession. Of the 1,366 surveyed, 79.4 percent intended to stay, 3.8 percent intended to leave, and 8.5 percent were unsure about their future. A further 73 practitioners, or 5.3 percent, intended to retire.
Among those planning to leave, the majority — 76.9 percent — expected to do so within five years, indicating that any losses to the workforce could arrive quickly rather than gradually. The reasons practitioners gave for leaving were dominated by workplace and economic factors rather than clinical ones. Unsatisfactory remuneration was the most commonly cited reason, reported by 16 of the 40 practitioners who answered this question, or 40.0 percent.
Lack of job security and retirement each accounted for 35.0 percent, followed by lack of opportunities for career advancement at 27.5 percent and lack of opportunities for personal growth or development at 17.5 percent. Registration status also shaped practitioners' outlook. The analysis found that those holding limited registration, as well as acupuncturists, were more likely to consider not renewing their registration or to be unsure about renewal.
The retrospective registration analysis revealed a clear demographic pattern in who was leaving. Combined with the 5.1 percent drop in practitioners per 100,000 population, the data indicate that the profession is not keeping pace with the population it serves. The authors caution that these findings raise concerns around the stability and sustainability of the Chinese medicine workforce in Australia.
On the basis of their findings, the researchers conclude that addressing both intrinsic and workplace factors may improve retention. They specifically point to remuneration, job security, and opportunities for career advancement and personal development as the levers most strongly associated with practitioners' decisions to leave. As an observational study based on survey responses and registration records, the research describes associations and workforce trends rather than testing any intervention.
The survey captured practitioners' stated intentions, which may not always translate into actual departures, and the registration analysis covers the period from 2014 to 2023. Even so, the convergence of the two data sources — intentions reported by practitioners and behaviour recorded in the national register — provides a consistent picture of a profession at risk of shrinking, with pay, security and development opportunities at the centre of the problem.
Subject of Research: Retention and attrition of Chinese medicine practitioners in the Australian health workforce
Article Title: Retention and attrition of Chinese medicine practitioners in Australia: survey and registration analysis from the workforce retention and attrition project
Article References: Lathlean, T., Shergis, J., Hibberd, K., Lim, C. E. D., Bennett AM, C., Divakar, R., Barclay, L., Saar, E., & Tan, J. (2026). Retention and attrition of Chinese medicine practitioners in Australia: survey and registration analysis from the workforce retention and attrition project. BMC Health Services Research, 26(1), Article 1217. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-026-15415-z
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: 10.1186/s12913-026-15415-z
Keywords: Chinese medicine, workforce retention, attrition, Ahpra, Australia, health workforce, acupuncture, registration data, remuneration, job security, replacement rate, survey
News Source: Ophelia Keating. (October 28, 2026). Chinese Medicine Workforce in Australia Shrinks as Pay and Job Security Drive Exits. Scienmag.
