THE latest data from Australian Teacher Workforce Data (ATWD) initiative shows that the current pace of teacher workforce growth will not keep up with increasing student demand.
The 2020 workforce data is based on the responses of almost 32,000 teachers across all states and territories to the ATWD Teacher Survey – by far the largest ever sample of teachers for research purposes. Fewer people are entering the teaching profession, and workforce data in 2020 indicate more than a third (38%) of all registered teachers are aged 50 years and over, a factor that will contribute to future teacher shortages.
On a more positive note, the data also show that the percentage of teachers intending to leave the workforce before retirement decreased in 2020 (21%) compared to 2018 (26%). However, it must be cautioned that the impact of the pandemic on the teacher workforce will not be fully understood until the 2021 and 2022 data are made available.
There are long-term trends toward more students undertaking initial teacher education (ITE) online, which might provide a buffer against the impact of Covid. The proportion of full-time ITE students commencing studying purely on-campus decreased steadily from 86% in 2005 to 65% in 2019; whereas mixed on-campus and online attendance increased from 10% to 19%.
Whether these long-term trends protected ITE enrolments against the impacts of Covid will be visible in upcoming data releases.