Michelle Stevens worked as a travel agent for 16 years - most recently in car rentals - but about two years ago she cast around for an alternative and learned about the strong demand for healthcare from her sister, a ward clerk at Northern Hospital.

The travel business had been disrupted by online bookings, her job in car rentals was boring and new ones were hard to come by. But in health services job openings were expanding, and wages were also growing. In the year to February healthcare and social assistance jobs grew 10 per cent - three times as fast as the workforce as a whole.