Essential workers hold our communities together, yet rents are pushing them out. Our new Snapshot shows almost none can afford a rental in WA.
Every day we rely on essential workers. Teachers, nurses, firefighters, aged care workers, early childhood educators and more keep our communities safe, healthy and growing. You would think that full-time work in these jobs should cover a place to live. Our latest research shows that it doesn't.
What the Snapshot found
Anglicare WA's Rental Affordability Snapshot 2026: Essential Workers Edition looked at 3,314 private rentals listed across WA. We tested each one against the full-time wages of 16 essential worker occupations.
- For 11 of the 16 occupations, less than 1% of listed rentals were affordable. This includes early childhood educators, hospitality workers, and social and community services workers.
- School teachers, ambulance officers, firefighters and aged care workers are among the highest earners. Even they could afford less than 2% of listed rentals.
- In the North West, not a single property or room was affordable to any essential worker.
- Across the South West and Great Southern, just one property was affordable.
"The report shows that affordable accommodation for the people that we rely on as a community has dried up," said Anglicare WA CEO Mark Glasson.
Why the care of essential workers affects us all
Essential services depend on essential workers. If workers can't afford to live near their jobs, those jobs become harder to fill.
"This is a productivity issue for Western Australia as well as a housing issue," Mr Glasson said.
The impact is felt tougher in parts of regional WA where services already struggle to attract and retain staff. "The challenges were greater than expected and very overwhelming. With the constant fear of not being successful and three declined rental applications leading to more challenges and the possibility of having to give up on staying in the Pilbara," said Meenaaz, Service Manager, Pilbara.
What needs to change
Everyone deserves a home they can afford. That includes the people who look after the rest of us.
We're calling on the State Government to:
- Explore options to increase supply for regional WA, such as scaling modular homes that are appropriate to local needs (including climate and population).
- Commit to a social housing target of at least 6% of all housing in WA.
- Make sure there are affordable homes for essential workers who aren’t eligible for government officer housing.
- Ensure a liveable income above the poverty line for all Australians.
- Fix Commonwealth Rent Assistance to provide meaningful support to low-income workers in the private rental market.
The RAS 2026: Essential Workers Edition includes results for each region of WA and practical solutions for State and Federal Governments.
View the Rental Affordability Snapshot 2026: Essential Workers (PDF)
Earlier this year, our Rental Affordability Snapshot 2026 was released which shows the number of affordable and appropriate rentals available for Western Australians on low income. A property is considered affordable if it required less than 30% of a household's income and appropriate if it had an adequate number of bedrooms.
