ANZSCO 2346-11
Medical Laboratory Scientist
Australia
March 2015
Current labour market rating
No Shortage
Previous labour market rating (March 2014)
No Shortage
Comments
There are large numbers of applicants and multiple suitable applicants for medical laboratory scientist
vacancies, and employers generally fill their positions without difficulty.
Employer requirements








Medical laboratory scientist is a diverse occupation, covering a range of diagnostic disciplines.
o Surveyed vacancies included cytology, pathology, haematology, sleep disorders, molecular
diagnostic and respiratory science.
The Department attempted to survey all vacancies identified during this survey period.
o Due to low survey response rates and the disproportionate number of contacts in metropolitan
areas, some employers were cold canvassed to enhance the information base.
The majority of surveyed vacancies were for laboratory roles. The remainder were for positions
requiring patient interaction (this was generally for sleep and respiratory medicine).
Surveyed vacancies were generally for medical laboratory scientists in public hospitals, with the
remainder in private hospitals and chain laboratories.
Around 65 per cent of vacancies were for full-time positions and almost all roles required applicants
to work on a 24/7 rotating roster.
Almost equal numbers of permanent and contract vacancies (most commonly for 12 months) were
surveyed.
All employers sought applicants with a minimum of a bachelor degree related to medical laboratory
science. Other requirements included
o membership of a relevant professional body such as the Australian Institute of Medical Scientists
(AIMS) or the Australian Society of Cytology (ASC)
o a working with vulnerable people check
o an unrestricted driver’s licence.
For junior positions, employers accepted applicants who did not have previous postgraduate work
experience but some sought up to three years experience. For middle to senior positions, employers
required around five years or more of technical work experience, with many requiring management
experience.
o Several positions were for multi-disciplinary laboratory roles and these required applicants to be
experienced in at least three or more disciplines.
Labour Market Research and Analysis Branch
Department of Employment
Survey results


Employers generally had little difficulty filling their medical laboratory scientist vacancies.
o About 87 per cent of surveyed vacancies were filled, down from 97 per cent filled in 2014.
o There were 34.4 applicants, on average, per vacancy, of whom 6.1 were considered to be
suitable.
 While the average number of applicants has increased significantly since 2014 (29.3), the
number of suitable applicants has not changed markedly (6.7).
o Around 80 per cent of employers attracted multiple suitable applicants.
There were some differences in recruitment experiences depending on the seniority of the position.
o Junior positions attracted large fields of applicants (an average of 49.2 per vacancy) and suitable
applicants (8.8).
o Employers’ comments suggest it was more challenging attracting senior medical laboratory
scientists who possessed both strong technical and management skills. That said, these
employers attracted an average of 15.9 applicants and 3.7 suitable applicants per vacancy.
There were also differences in recruitment experiences depending on the permanency of the
advertised role.
o Employers seeking temporary workers filled a higher proportion of vacancies (91 per cent) than
those seeking permanent employees (81 per cent).
o Permanent positions attracted larger fields of applicants (41.8, on average, per vacancy,
compared with 26.5), but there were larger numbers of suitable applicants for temporary
vacancies (7.2, on average, compared with 4.9).
While a greater proportion of surveyed vacancies were located in public hospitals, private chains
attracted larger fields of applicants for their vacancies.
The small number of vacancies that remained unfilled all attracted applicants. These applicants were
either not considered to be suitable, or suitable applicants and employers were unable to agree on
the terms and conditions of employment.
Employers generally commented that there is strong competition for available positions and, as such,
they are able to employ their ‘ideal’ candidates. Furthermore, a number of employers noted a rise in
qualified medical laboratory scientists applying for (lower skilled) technicians roles.




Unsuitable applicants


Nearly 40 per cent of applicants did not possess a relevant qualification and were considered to be
unsuitable.
In addition, almost 70 per cent of the qualified applicants were considered to be unsuitable. The main
reason was a lack of technical skills and experience in a particular discipline.
Demand and supply trends

1
ABS Labour Force data for medical laboratory scientists are highly variable, however, they suggest
that employment fell slightly over the five years to February 2015, down by 1.8 per cent (or 400) to
23,400.1
ABS, Labour Force Survey, February 2015, trend
Labour Market Research and Analysis Branch
Department of Employment


There were 30.2 per cent fewer vacancies advertised in the year to April 2015 than there were in the
corresponding period to April 2010, with vacancy numbers falling to historically low levels.2
Training for medical laboratory scientists is usually through a bachelor degree in the field of Medical
Science.3 Commencements and completions have increased significantly in recent years.4
o Bachelor degree commencements rose by 53 per cent between 2008 and 2013, while the
number of postgraduate commencements almost doubled over the period.
o Completions have also surged, with bachelor degree and postgraduate completions up by more
than 80 per cent between 2008 and 2013. Completions are likely to increase further on the back
of continuing growth in commencements.
Figure 1: Medical Science degree commencements and completions (no.), Australia, 2006 to 2013
Source: Department of Education, Higher Education Student Data Collection, 2013, domestic students

Graduate outcomes for students studying Medical Science are below average, with 56.8 per cent of
those who completed a bachelor degree in the field of Medical Science finding full-time employment
in 2014, well below the 68.1 per cent for bachelor degree graduates across all fields of study.5
o Although outcomes for Medical Science graduates rose slightly over the year (up by
1.2 percentage points), they have generally been trending downwards since 2005, when 82.1 per
cent of students who graduated in this field found full-time employment.
o Less than 20 per cent of Medical Science bachelor degree graduates who found employment
were working as medical laboratory scientists in 2014. The remainder were employed in a
variety of occupations, including science technicians and medical technicians (10.3 and 8.9 per
cent, respectively).
2
Department of Employment, Internet Vacancy Index, April 2015, 12 month moving average
Medical science is a pathway degree to a number of health related occupations.
4 Department of Education, Higher Education Student Data Collection, 2013, customised table
5
GCA, Graduate Destinations, 2013, customised tables
Outcomes refer to those employed full-time four months after completing their bachelor degree as a proportion of those
available for full-time work.
3
Labour Market Research and Analysis Branch
Department of Employment


Employment of medical laboratory scientists is projected to increase by 7.7 per cent over the five
years to November 2019 compared with the all occupations average of 10.0 per cent.6
Replacement demand is also expected to be relatively low.
o Several employers suggested there is low turnover of these professionals. This is supported by
ABS data which show that the turnover rate for natural and physical scientists (of which this
occupation is part) is below the all occupations average (8.6 per cent compared with
11.4 per cent).7
o The workforce also has a relatively young age profile, with a median age of 36 years (below the
all occupation average of 40 years), suggesting that there will not be strong replacement
demand from retirements in the next few years.8
6
Department of Employment, Occupation Employment Projections to November 2019
ABS, Labour Mobility, 2013
8
ABS, Labour Force Survey, 2014 annual average
7
Labour Market Research and Analysis Branch
Department of Employment