Locum jobs on the rise as restrictions ease

Careers Connections July update

It goes without saying that so far, 2020 has been a very strange year, with uncertainty, fear and disruption affecting all of us in some way. The medical and healthcare industries have certainly seen their fair share of upheaval. But the good news is that things are finally starting to look up, particularly for locum doctors.



How have locum roles been affected during the Covid-19 crisis?

In general, there’s been a recent dip in demand for locum doctors on account of the restrictions and uncertainty surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic that’s been sweeping the globe for the past few months.

Usually, locum doctors have ample work opportunities across Australia, from covering remote locations and unusual shifts to filling in the gaps left by permanent doctors on annual leave. However, as a result of the current global health crisis, many hospitals have cancelled pre-planned leave for all of their full-time doctors. Additionally, the national travel restrictions put into place by the government have made remote areas more difficult to access, making recruitment for locum positions in such locations temporarily unviable.

What have we been doing to help?

Throughout the pandemic, we’ve been working to ensure that our relationship with each of our health service partners remains stronger than ever. Many of our health service partners provide us with exclusive access to their job openings, and maintaining a high level of mutual trust and confidence even in such difficult times will enable them to provide us with new locum positions to fill as soon as they arise.

Additionally, while most companies have been faced with the prospect of reducing staff numbers and downsizing their operations, we’ve been building upon our capabilities and service offerings by hiring new staff and developing our team of well experienced and competent senior consultants. This is to ensure that we’re in the best position to match doctors with the best locum work opportunities as soon as possible.

When will things go back to normal for locum doctors?

The government has indicated that the majority of restrictions throughout Australia will be lifted within the first two weeks of July, which will help enormously in the process of restoring business as usual for many industries. Joe Ndaira, the General Manager of Careers Connections, stated at the end of June that;

As interstate border restrictions ease and travel throughout Australia begins to return to normal, the demand for locum doctors is expected to follow suit, and we’re already starting to see an upward trend in locum work opportunities as a result. Additionally, many health services and medical employers have begun to relax their leave policies, meaning that locum doctors are required to cover permanent doctors who are now able to take time off.

Moving forward, there may be new and evolving opportunities for general medicine locum doctors across Australia, such as telehealth consultations, a new initiative introduced by the government enabling those who are quarantined or highly vulnerable to Covid-19 to access essential health services in a safe and contact-free manner.

As always, specialised roles are expected to be in high demand, including emergency medicine and psychiatry locum jobs. The availability of locum jobs in NSW and QLD in particular will also increase as restrictions are eased, and once again, locum doctors across the country will enjoy an enviable work-life balance, competitive pay rates and exciting opportunities at every turn.



Find out more

If you’re interested in learning more about locum life in Australia, you’ll find our Locum Guide incredibly helpful. It covers all of the different medical locum roles across the country, and how you can access these, as well as salaries, registration procedures, and the support that we’ll provide every step of the way. Click here to download a copy.

Remember to also Register for our weekly job newsletters to be the first to know about any new roles we publish!