Professionals Australia is a registered union that represents employees in a range of professions across Australia, including veterinarians. We are proud to represent the industrial interests of veterinarians who play a crucial role in animal science, health and well-being, and also contribute significantly to family and community connections and economic production.

While being a veterinarian is perceived as an attractive and rewarding career, the reality of a vet’s working life can be vastly different - characterised by long working hours, poor remuneration, stress and dissatisfaction. As demand for veterinary services increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, vets who were already stretched to the limit – experienced even more pressure.

In August 2022, Professionals Australia conducted a national survey of veterinarians to obtain up to date data about their pay and working conditions and to identify issues of greatest concern to working veterinarians.

We received survey responses from 510 vets – 80 percent of whom were women and 73 per cent were aged between 25 and 44. The survey found that 77 per cent of respondents were dissatisfied with the current state of the industry and 70 per cent indicated they would advise others against a career as a veterinarian.

Our survey revealed 36 per cent of vets are dissatisfied with their pay, calling out that it does not compare favourably to the remuneration received by other professions and fails to reflect the valuable skills and expertise of veterinarians.

Download Full report here.