Like the population in general, the nursing workforce is aging, and impending retirements are likely to exacerbate future nursing shortages. In Australia, the proportion of nurses and midwives age 50 years and over increased from to from 2004 to 2008. In New Zealand, the average age of the practicing nurses is 47. With a large cohort of nurses expected to retire over the next 5 years, a major challenge exists to ensure an adequate supply of nurses in the coming years. This issue is compounded by the high proportion of part-time workers within this female- dominated profession,.
