Occupational Therapy in Australia: A Changing Profession and Changing Attitudes

Abstract

This article reports the main findings of the Victorian Occupational Therapy Labour-Force Survey in 1986, and compares them where possible with data obtained in a national survey conducted four years earlier by Lansbury.1 Recent socioeconomic changes in Victoria have led to a considerable growth in demand for occupational therapists. The main reserve labour force consists of women caring for dependent children, many of whom would welcome the opportunity to return to work if their needs for flexible hours and on-site child care were catered for. Whilst the changes in patterns of employment and career attitudes could be interpreted as indicators of a decrease in labour-force problems, the profession's continued acceptance of traditional working conditions suggests that problems may be perpetuated rather than alleviated.