Global Strategy for the Occupational Therapy Workforce

A lack of comprehensive and reliable occupational-therapy workforce data impedes the accurate assessment of the workforce. Development plans of policy-makers, system planners, and other decision-makers are dependent on workforce data. Strengthening the availability of occupational therapy data is a seminal step necessary to better identify workforce development needs. Mechanisms are required to systematically collect, integrate, and compare disaggregated occupational therapy workforce data for appropriate workforce monitoring, research, advocacy, and development.

More on Strategic Direction 1: Strengthening occupational therapy workforce data

Workforce data can help determine the current and future supply of the occupational therapy workforce and promote supply comparisons. However, improving access to workforce data is not enough. To further determine supply gaps of the occupational therapy workforce, it is necessary to align the data with population needs and health system demands for occupational therapy. For example, combining workforce data with labour-market analyses, where available, can identify vital gaps in access and provision of occupational therapy services.

More on Strategic direction 2: Determining supply shortages in the occupational therapy workforce

In many contexts, especially but not limited to some low- and middle-income countries, the occupational therapy workforce is scant or inexistent, with scale up or expansion efforts often impeded by a lack of local capacity for occupational therapy education. National or international investment and technical support is needed for expanding education; developing local capacity to absorb, deploy, and manage a workforce expansion; and estimating and measuring both the cost and benefit of expansion efforts.

More on Strategic direction 3: Investing in the expansion of the occupational therapy workforce

Even within nations, inequities exist in the distribution of occupational therapists and population access to occupational therapy services. Inequities in access are commonly defined by factors such as geographic region, urban /rural / remote location, and sector, service, or practice area. With strengthened workforce data and supply shortage determinations, these inequitable distributions within nations can be identified and addressed. Actions may include enhancing recruitment or retention packages, building professional development programmes for those working in underserved areas, or using innovative service delivery models or workforce strengthening approaches that extend the outreach of the occupational therapy workforce to vulnerable populations.

More on Strategic direction 4: Improving workforce distribution for equitable access

In addition to improving availability and accessibility of occupational therapists, workforce planning must ensure requirements are met for workforce competency, engagement and diversity. To do so, there is a need for strong and progressive regulatory mechanisms and human-resources governance and management practices to ensure the occupational therapy workforce: meets continuing competency standards; attains optimal performance, work engagement, and job satisfaction; is diverse to reflect and be acceptable to the populations served; and eliminates race, gender, or other demographic-based barriers to career opportunities, development or compensation.

More on Strategic direction 5: Assuring workforce competency, engagement and diversity

Workforce policy and management affects the capacity of occupational therapists to meet population needs. However, the use of research and evidence in workforce planning to influence policy and planning has been limited. The need exists to foster development and utilization of scientifically-sound, solution-oriented and context-sensitive occupational therapy workforce research. Actions involve developing workforce research structures, networks, and agendas to generate needed evidence, and systematically using evidence to inform and evaluate policies, planning, regulation, and management practices.

More on Strategic direction 6: Developing and using workforce evidence for policy and management

Enacting occupational therapy workforce strategic developments requires strengthening the capacity of current and future professional leaders at the local, national and international level to promote workforce situational analyses, action plans, and monitoring. This involves assuming a leading role in profession-specific workforce development and serving as skilled advocates and participants in broader health workforce policy and planning.

More on Strategic direction 7: Building workforce leadership and planning capacity