University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka research has found nearly 40% of public sector physiotherapists want to leave their current job.
Published in the New Zealand Journal of Physiotherapy, the report provides the first detailed picture of the nation’s public health physiotherapy workforce.
Lead author, Gillian Watson, a PhD candidate in the School of Physiotherapy, says it highlights a pressing workforce stability issue for the sector.
“Our results show that we have a skilled and experienced workforce. However, many are under pressure and considering leaving. This has implications for costs and continuity of quality of care across the public healthcare sector,” she says.
The research was based on a survey completed by more than 570 physiotherapists, which equates to 46% of Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora’s physiotherapy workforce.
It revealed 39.6% intended to leave their job and 19.4% considered leaving the profession.
She describes the level intending to leave as “concerning, but not entirely surprising”.
“There have been ongoing signals within the sector that retention is an issue, both in New Zealand and internationally.
“What this study does is put some numbers around that concern and highlights the scale of the challenge.”
The survey also showed 59.3% of respondents had more than 10 years of experience; 60.7% worked full-time; 51.7% worked overtime; 56.6% supervised students; and 49.3% contributed to the out-of-hours roster.
“This shows that public-sector physiotherapists are working in complex and demanding roles. They are often less visible than doctors and nurses, yet they play a critical role across the health system,” she says.
“They are managing large and varied caseloads, alongside responsibilities like student supervision, unpaid overtime, and additional out-of-hours work.
“Supporting this workforce isn’t just about staff wellbeing – retention directly impacts the quality of care people receive when they need it the most and addressing these issues is imperative.”
She says the research highlights the importance of retaining clinicians.
“Retaining physiotherapists is critical for health service delivery, patient outcomes, and cost efficiency. There is a real risk of losing experienced clinicians at a time when demand for services is increasing.”
She believes addressing the components of the work environment, such as workload, support, and career development, will be critical for the long-term sustainability of the workforce and continuity of care.
“Strategies which strengthen recruitment, support, and retention of physiotherapists within the public health system are urgently needed. Prioritising these efforts will ultimately improve health outcomes for communities.”
*The study was supported by a Health Research Council of New Zealand Clinical Training Fellowship.
