Helping Residential Aged Care Providers Deliver Better Care With PALM

The Australian aged care sector is under critical strain and the workforce crisis is escalating fast. Despite record government investment, the gap between care demand and care delivery is widening. The KPMG Aged Care Market Analysis 2025 offers a clear snapshot of the pressure points:

• The number of people in residential aged care increased by 3.2% from FY23 to FY24, while the number of operational places only increased by 1.0%.
• Since the introduction of mandated care minute targets in October 2023, only 40.5% of residential aged care services met both their required care minutes per resident per day and registered nurse minutes.
• Labour costs are expected to rise as providers strive to meet these care minute targets, especially for for-profit providers who are underperforming.
• The sector is undergoing significant consolidation, with the top 25 providers now operating 44.7% of all residential aged care places (up from 44.0% in FY23). Smaller providers are increasingly exiting the market due to financial viability concerns and regulatory burdens.

Pulse, with the support of Sanctuary Recruitment, both part of Acacium Group, is helping aged care providers address these challenges through the PALM scheme, ensuring elderly people across Australia live healthy fulfilling, lives with dignity and respect.

What is the PALM Scheme?

The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme is a government initiative designed to address Australian labour shortages while also supporting economic development in the Pacific region and Timor-Leste. Originally used in the agriculture and hospitality sectors, PALM was extended to support the aged care industry, offering a regulated, ethical and scalable workforce pipeline to address domestic workforce shortages.

PALM workers:

• Are pre-screened and vetted by the sending country's Labour Mobility Unit and the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (AUS)
• Receive training to Australian aged care standards (ASQA)
• Can be employed for up to four years in full-time roles
• Are supported with pastoral care, housing and onboarding programmes
• Must be paid in parity with host to their formal instrument or award

“The PALM scheme helps to address workforce shortages in regional and rural Australia, while providing economic benefits for workers and their home communities.”

- The Hon Tony Burke MP, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations

Workforce instability is highest in regional areas

Government-run and regional aged care homes have been disproportionately affected by workforce shortages. In some cases, providers have had to reduce bed numbers or close facilities entirely due to an inability to meet minimum care requirements.

To address this, the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme is specifically designed to support regional and remote areas - those most affected by staffing shortfalls. With each worker committing to a four-year placement, the scheme offers long-term workforce stability and continuity of care, which is difficult to achieve with contingent, contract or casual staffing models.

This stability directly benefits residents, who experience more consistent relationships with carers and improved quality of care. For providers, PALM offers a more cost-effective and sustainable staffing solution, reducing reliance on agency staff and lowering turnover-related costs.

Learn more about how we helped Regis Aged Care address critical workforce shortages in Mildura and Port Macquarie: https://acaciumgroup.com/case-studies/addressing-australian-aged-care-workforce-shortages/

"The PALM scheme is a significant benefit for us. We've had some workforce challenges in our regional locations, particularly in Mildura and Port Macquarie and the Fiji students have certainly assisted us with addressing those challenges. 

It's been a fantastic collaboration between our PALM students and residents. They bring a different perspective and culture into our homes, and the ability to celebrate that Fijian culture has been great from our residents' perspective. The excitement levels are very high." 

James Theofanis, Executive General Manager Operations, Regis Aged Care

How Pulse can support you

As a PALM Approved Employer (AE), Pulse Staffing, part of Acacium Group, works in close partnership with aged care providers to ensure PALM placements align seamlessly with your broader workforce strategy, delivering measurable benefits for organisations and the people you care for. As experienced providers of the PALM scheme our expert team supports you with;

• Strategic workforce mapping
  We assess where PALM workers can best complement your existing workforce, helping to fill persistent staffing gaps while maintaining continuity of care and minimising disruption to your operations.
• End-to-end process support
  We manage the full PALM placement process on your behalf, including application management, Department of Employment liaison, recruitment planning and housing coordination to save you time and reduce administrative burdens.
• Cultural onboarding and team integration
  We provide tailored onboarding and training to support the successful integration of PALM workers with your domestic teams ensuring a collaborative workforce culture.
• Ongoing compliance and quality assurance
  We ensure all placements meet aged care regulatory standards, including visa conditions, wage fairness and training requirements for greater peace of mind.

Futureproof the provision of quality aged care

If you’re struggling to recruit quality aged care workers, facing high staff turnover or looking to scale your service, the PALM scheme is a cost-effective, long-term workforce solution that delivers value beyond headcount. Contact Head of Bids and Client Solutions, Paul Tinker for more information: paul.tinker@pulsestaffing.com.au.