Essential workers priced out of almost every rental home in Australia: Anglicare Australia

New research from Anglicare Australia has found that essential workers are being priced out of almost the entire rental market, with even full-time workers struggling to find somewhere affordable to live.

Anglicare Australia’s Rental Affordability Snapshot: Essential Workers Snapshot surveyed 48,776 rental listings across Australia, testing whether they were affordable for sixteen essential occupations. It finds that:

• Ten occupations surveyed could afford fewer than one percent of rental listings.
• Just 0.8 percent of rentals were affordable for cleaners, 0.9 percent for retail workers, and 0.7 percent for hospitality workers.
• Nurses could afford just 1.1 percent of listings, while aged care workers could afford 1.7 percent.
• Even teachers and firefighters, who fared better than other workers, could afford just 3.3 percent and 2.7 percent of listings respectively.
• Affordability fell or stagnated for thirteen of the sixteen occupations surveyed, despite increases in wages.

“We’ve reached a point where the people who keep our hospitals, schools, aged care services and communities running can’t afford to live in them,” said Anglicare Australia Executive Director Kasy Chambers.

“When nurses can afford just one percent of rentals, and even teachers can afford fewer than four percent, it’s clear that Australia’s housing system is failing working people.

“What’s especially alarming is that the situation is getting worse. Thirteen of the sixteen occupations we surveyed have seen no improvement in rental affordability, even as their wages have increased.

“Some essential workers have won major pay rises, but those increases are being swallowed up by rent. Early childhood educators have seen their wages rise by ten percent, yet they can still afford just one percent of rentals.

Workers need fair wages, but they also need homes they can afford. We can’t expect people to keep chasing higher pay just to stay in the same place while rents keep rising.

“Building more expensive homes in the private sector won’t solve this problem. We need governments to invest directly in public and community housing so that people have somewhere affordable to live.

“We also need limits on rent increases. Renters shouldn’t have to live with the constant fear that their next rent increase will force them out of their home or leave them unable to afford other essentials.

Australia’s essential workers shouldn’t have to choose between doing a job their community depends on and having somewhere affordable to live. When teachers, nurses, aged care workers and other essential staff can’t afford to live in the communities they serve, everyone pays the price.

The Tasmanian data

Anglicare Australia assessed the affordability of 639 rental properties around Tasmania for essential workers. It found that only:

• 4.2% were affordable for an aged care worker
• 5.5% were affordable for an ambulance officer
• 2.2% were affordable for a retail worker
• 8.0% were affordable for a school teacher.