TASMANIA'S aged-care sector is the new mining boom, according to workforce planning consultant Lee Veitch.
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Ms Veitch said the sector would grow enormously over the next 10 to 20 years, and there were plenty of opportunities for people looking to enter the industry.
"Over the next five years alone we need to increase the aged-care workforce by 40 per cent," she said.
"That's roughly 4400 new jobs, above and beyond vacancies left through natural attrition."
Ms Veitch said the scope of jobs extended far beyond care-related roles in nursing homes, which were traditionally associated with the sector.
"It's not all about care and support workers any more," she said.
"There are going to be plenty of roles in IT, marketing, architecture as well as opportunities for small businesses and entrepreneurs."
Ms Veitch said the state government needed to be more proactive in developing those skills among prospective workers.
Demographer Amina Keygan echoed the sentiment, saying Tasmania needed to work better at addressing an "education and jobs mismatch" brought to light by the rapid expansion of the aged-care sector.
"We're looking to more skilled industries like aged care and yet our education system is still really not," Mr Keygan said.
"Those people come through the education system and the workforce who have the skills will be able to have their pick of conditions in the labour market."
Ms Keygan said Tasmania's care services sector had been proportionally increasing at a faster rate than mining or forestry over the past five years.
"It's quite frustrating from a demographic position to continually hear about the gearing up of these industries and the subsidies provided to them," she said.
"The ageing industry is right here, it's happening now, and it's only going to get bigger - we're just not capitalising on it."