Australia's teacher shortages are among the worst in the world, according to an international report, with regional and disadvantaged schools bearing the brunt of the crisis. The OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (Talis) found that 42% of lower secondary principals in Australia agreed that a shortage of teachers hindered the quality of instruction, nearly double the OECD average of 23% and up from 14% in 2018.
The report also recorded the largest shortage of staff in regional schools (63%) and in disadvantaged schools (67%), defined as those with more than 30% of students from socioeconomically struggling homes. Trevor Cobbold, convener of Save Our Schools, described the situation as a 'diabolical staffing crisis', noting it restricts learning and widens achievement gaps between rich and poor.
Australian teachers work an average of 46.5 hours per week, well above the OECD average of 40.8 hours, with 65% reporting high stress and 80% saying their job negatively affects their mental health. A separate UNSW study found teachers experience depression, anxiety and stress at three times the national norm, linked to workload.
About 30% of teachers are considering leaving the profession before retirement age, according to the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. In Western Australia alone, 1,279 teachers resigned in 2024-25, the highest number since records began in 2005. Correna Haythorpe, president of the Australian Education Union, called the scale of the problem 'unacceptable for a wealthy, developed nation'.
Education ministers agreed to a National Teacher Workforce Action Plan in 2022, leading to a 7% increase in annual applications to teaching degrees. Some states have seen improvements, such as New South Wales, where public school vacancies dropped by 61% in three years, partly due to a pay deal in 2023. However, Haythorpe stressed that more funding is needed to address the root causes of the crisis.
