��Who cares for the care workers? Mapping Australia’s care landscape for Asian female aged care workers, an Indonesian migrant case study�����
Context�Research Projects & Publications
Indonesian case study – proposed research
Comparative literature
Context
Asian female migrants > meeting Australia’s aged care workforce demand
35% workers are CALD migrants > ABS 2021 80% Asian background�Aged Care Workforce Report 2020, 86% female (feminised care labour)
Context
Important: Australia ageing society 16% 65 yrs older (2020) increase to 23% 10yrs�- Short 11,000 aged care workers in 10yrs / 3X needed �- Crisis recruitment & retention > migration debate (Swerissen 2020)�- Royal Commission into Aged Care 2018-2021: 15% pay increase 2020, 80% staffing, career�- Asian female migrant aged care workers face: precarious work, underemployment, discrimination & racism (MAR Edition 16, 2023 ‘Safety’ & 'belonging’: gender & migration)
Research Project: Social Resilience & Migrant Aged Care Workforce �La Trobe Asia & School of Humanities fund (Bendigo 2018 & Bundoora 2019 fieldwork)�+ online survey 117 participants & 20 follow up interview (Victoria), industry stakeholders
Deakin Sociology & Social Change RN fund > follow up interview COVID pandemic ��Research team: Irene Blackberry, Carmela Leone (La Trobe Care Economy Research Institute), Tom Klassen York University Canada & Masa Higo Kyushu University Japan
3:46-5:54 https://youtu.be/nuyUKbC48ec (2+ minute).
Keck and Sakdapolrak’s (2013) social network key to how members of a community can ‘cope, adapt and transform’ - social resilience during times of crisis: UAP Bendigo anti multiculturalism demo 2017
Tuti’s Narrative: migration journey�& overcoming language difficulty
Social factors to cope, adapt & transform
Professional PT work, mother of 2 �married Anglo Australian spousal visa
Bendigo: aged care sector�- Drop in status, secretary int. company, lifestyle regional affordable�- Strategy > English second language�Get to know client & empathise�- Racism from co-worker, receive support from direct line manager�re-organise pair work, other Asian�co-worker who understands her�- BAIK main support 50 members�3 other Indonesian aged care workers�
Analysis: social & institutional structures both challenge & facilitate agency
Findings: highlight how relational agency & social structures contribute to building social resilience through developing social support networks (community & workplace) for career development & retention
Understanding their carescape
“anthropology: broader structural & cultural influences that shape how care is organised socially & experienced in different spaces” (Bowlby & McKie 2019, Lau 2021) + agency interacting
‘Care Land-scape(s)’: terrain of care, different spaces (social, cultural, institutional structures) care is organised & experienced > workplace cultures (care), resources & services available, workforce retention & professional development + policies & practices, external structures, resources & services of care�
‘Care Landscape’ challenge & facilitate agency: intentionality, capacity, & power of Asian female migrant aged care workers to act in ways that develop social resilience + relational others effect & joint action �>roles of agency & structure: ability to cope, adapt & transform navigate journeys migration to employment
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Why Indonesian? Aged care workers from Indonesia: 9 million overseas migrant workers worldwide (Nugraha, Raharjo & Hirano 2021)
Indonesia targeted in Australia’s 2023 Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040 & 2023 Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement Visa 482 Skill Shortage
Potential growing number of Indonesian female aged care workers in Australia = understand challenges recruitment & retention ‘care landscape’
Fieldwork: Geelong ‘Posyandu’ (Mother & Child group) 10 aged care workers Indonesian Lecturer, Deakin Geelong campus social network & previous Bendigo site
Why Indonesia? Australia: 109,170 Indonesian-born (2023) 17th list migrant community
Indonesia 285,721,236 people 4th largest ppl. in the world (2025)�Young population 64.16 million working age, 33% under 35 yrs old 4.61% unemployment rate 7.47milion
> 500,000 surplus care workers HK, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan https://www.australianageingagenda.com.au/
Australian ageing agenda (potential research collaboration):
- 2025 Living Well Senior Communities 120hrs work placement Australian operated aged care provider in Jakarta Indonesia, Binawan Uni. 20 final-year nursing students > pilot program
6mnth from February 2025 with UNE academic & practical Certificate III Individual Support (Ageing) �> work Australian aged care industry
Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement 2023 = providers sponsor Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) visa & fast-tracked by Department of Home Affairs
Literature feminised care labour Indonesians overseas workers
(c) The University of Melbourne <insert year> This content is protected and may not be shared, uploaded, or distributed.
Indonesian aged care workers in Japan literature
> retention issue positive factors (Effendy et al 2025)
(c) The University of Melbourne <insert year> This content is protected and may not be shared, uploaded, or distributed.
Indonesian aged care workers in Australia
Life support to enable social resilience social factors needed ‘cope, adapt & transform’ + care landscape: spaces (social/institutional) structures facilitate agency ?
Previous research/publication: �Bendigo: Tuti narrative (positive factor themes), BAIK
Covid: online local & transnational support & burden
> 2025 pilot program 20 Jakarta Cert 3 aged care facility
(c) The University of Melbourne <insert year> This content is protected and may not be shared, uploaded, or distributed.