Looi, Jeffrey C.L.Allison, StephenBastiampillai, TarunHensher, MartinKisely, SteveRobson, Stephen J.2025-05-232025-05-231039-8562PubMed:39110758ORCID:/0000-0003-3351-6911/work/184098204http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85200940250&partnerID=8YFLogxKhttps://hdl.handle.net/1885/733752409Objective: Specialised mental healthcare delivery is highly labour intensive, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated workforce shortfalls. We explore the information on the mental healthcare labour supply in Australia from a health policy viewpoint. Our purpose is to stimulate discussion, further research and development of interventions. Conclusions: The mental healthcare labour market has a number of features that make it prone to shortages and other distortions. These include: the labour-intensive nature of healthcare work;, long-training periods; that traditional policy levers like pay are only partially effective; as well as other challenges in retaining and recruiting mental health nurses and psychiatrists, especially in public mental health services. Further research is needed to develop and evaluate effective interventions.4enPublisher Copyright: © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2024.Healthcare workforcelabour marketmental healthcareshortages202410.1177/1039856224126713885200940250