IEU Speaks: 2025 Education Trends: Australian Teacher Workforce Data Report
16 July 2025
2025 Education Trends: Australian Teacher Workforce Data Report
The Australian Institute for Teaching and Leadership (AITSL) has released its latest Australian Teacher Workforce Data Report. It presents findings on national trends, 2019-2023, in demographics, education roles, employment conditions, workplace issues and career intentions to inform policy development on issues affecting the teacher workforce.
The report, based on the Australian Teacher Workforce Survey of 50,556 respondents in 2023, includes a number of key findings relevant to the work of our union.
Overwork and work intensification
Overwork continues to be reported as the major issue driving the workforce attraction and retention crisis. Full-time teachers reported working far in excess of 38 hours per week during school terms: 19% worked 45-49 hours; 26% worked 50-54 hours; 12% worked 55-59 hours; and 26% worked over 60 hours per week. Primary and secondary teachers were found to be spending 15-21 hours per week in marking, administration, and general teamwork.
A highly experienced workforce
The teaching workforce continues to be a highly experienced and increasingly mature workforce. These features increased in the 2019-2023 reporting period. Nearly seventy per cent (66%) of teachers have over a decade of classroom experience. Senior leaders with 10-29 years’ experience increased from 57% in 2019 to 63% in 2023. Career succession planning for mid-career teachers was generally well-supported and, at the other end of the spectrum, it was reported that early-career teacher numbers are returning to pre-COVID levels.
Employment conditions
Teacher employment conditions continue to be largely stable; with 69% of teachers and leaders on ongoing contracts in 2023, and the majority (70%) on ongoing or fixed-term contracts with full-time hours. However, only 48% of early career teachers were employed in an ongoing capacity, with higher proportions on short fixed-term (24%) or casual (19%) contracts. Relatively high proportions of early career teachers (81%), as well as the teacher workforce in remote/very remote locations (85%), were employed to work full-time hours.
Attracting and retaining a sustainable teacher workforce
There is a pressing need to reduce teacher workloads to sustainable levels; to better support teacher wellbeing; and to improve career-development pathways.
