The 2019-2020 National Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Workforce Survey was undertaken to inform national and jurisdictional workforce planning and workforce development initiatives. This was the first national survey of the Australian AOD workforce since 2005. This report presents the preliminary findings from the National AOD Workforce Survey describing broad trends and themes, pending full publication of our data comprising in-depth analysis.

A total of 1506 workers completed the survey. The majority were employed in the non-government sector (57%) and based in metropolitan locations (64%). Women (69%) outnumbered men 2:1, just over one third (35%) were aged 50-64 years, and 6% identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, double the proportion in the Australian population. A majority (65%) of workers reported AOD lived experience (personal, family, other), of whom two thirds (63%) declared it to their workplace. The AOD workforce included a diverse range of occupations in various work roles. The largest cohort comprised drug and alcohol counsellors (23%). The majority (71%) of workers indicated their main work role was direct client service provision, and around one quarter (24%) were in a management role.