Survey seeks information about pay and employment conditions of Australia’s vets

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pay and employment conditions of Australia’s vets
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Professionals Australia—the union for Australia’s veterinarians—has launched a new national survey to investigate the pay, conditions and workplace experiences of Australia’s vets.  

Professionals Australia CEO Jill McCabe said that Australia’s vets would be comprehensively surveyed on their pay, hours of work, experiences, and attitudes about working as a vet.

“With the explosion of pet ownership over the pandemic, more Australians rely on vets to care for their companion pets,” McCabe said.

“However, vets also play a vital role in other areas of animal health and wellbeing, including large animals, livestock, and wildlife. 

“While being a vet is perceived as an attractive and rewarding career, we have heard from many vets that the reality of their working life is very different.”

The day-to-day work of many vets is characterised by long hours, poor pay and stressful working environments. Many vets work 10-hour shifts, six days a week, manage high workloads and deal with emotionally charged situations every day. 

Despite a significant outlay of time and money in their tertiary education, vets often fail to see a return commensurate with their investment. They become stressed, dissatisfied with their career and ultimately want to leave the industry. 

The survey aims to provide important data on the working arrangements of veterinarians that will be used by the union to advocate for better pay and conditions for vets through the industrial relations system. 

“This survey will provide hard data on the current pay and working conditions of Australia’s vets, that we will use to bring about change in the careers of our dedicated, highly skilled and hardworking vets across Australia,” McCabe said.

The Veterinarian Employment Survey can be completed here.

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