Why Exercise Physiologists Are in High Demand in 2026

ByRhiannon Freemantle

You’re finishing your degree and thinking about your first job. You want a career where you can make a real difference, one that’s growing, respected, and future-facing. That’s why exercise physiology keeps coming up. People say it’s “in demand”, and in 2026, that’s not just talk.

This demand reflects a long term shift in Australian healthcare. The system is moving toward prevention, building functional capacity, and helping people live well with chronic conditions. For students and early career clinicians, this isn’t just good news, it’s an opportunity! A chance to work in roles where your skills are genuinely needed, where you can shape outcomes, and where your career can grow as the profession grows.

Healthcare is changing, and prevention is at the centre

Australia’s health system is evolving. It’s no longer enough to react to illness, you need to prevent it, reduce risk, and support long term wellbeing. The National Preventive Health Strategy 2021-2030 formalises this shift, aiming to increase years lived in good health and boost preventive health spending to 5% of total health expenditure [1]. For exercise physiologists, this is exactly where your expertise matters. Prevention isn’t theoretical. It requires clinicians who can change behaviour, restore function, and support long term self-management. Medication doesn’t fix inactivity, surgery doesn’t reverse deconditioning and acute care doesn’t teach people how to move safely with chronic disease. You do.

The opportunity is real and growing

Health Care and Social Assistance is Australia’s fastest growing employment sector, projected to account for around half of all new jobs nationally over the next decade [3]. Already representing 15.8% of total employment, the sector is expected to add roughly 585,000 roles by 2034 [4]. Population ageing, rising chronic disease, and a shift toward long term condition management are driving this growth, therefore, exercise physiology fits directly into this picture. NSW Health modelling shows the AEP workforce will need to continue growing through to at least 2040 [2]. This isn’t a short term trend, it’s structural demand that will sustain your career opportunities for years to come.

Chronic disease is your arena

Chronic disease is now the core of Australian healthcare:

  • 15.4 million Australians (around 61% of the population) had at least one long term condition in 2022
  • Prevalence rises sharply with age, affecting 94 percent of people aged 85 and over
  • Australia’s median age has increased from 33.4 years in 1994 to 38.3 years in 2024 [5]

Chronic conditions account for 85% of the country’s total disease burden, including cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal conditions, anxiety, dementia, and chronic respiratory disease [5].

These are exactly the conditions where supervised, progressive exercise has some of the strongest evidence for improving function, independence, and quality of life [6]. As patients increasingly present with multiple conditions, the healthcare system needs clinicians who can safely tailor exercise to complex cases, a skill that defines exercise physiology.

Your career makes economic sense

Exercise physiology isn’t just clinically valuable, it’s economically smart. Deloitte Access Economics estimated the benefit of AEP-led interventions at $6,562 per person, even assuming only half the outcomes reported in research. Most of this value comes from improved wellbeing, with additional gains from productivity and reduced healthcare costs [7]. Beyond economics, the profession provides clarity in a crowded, confusing landscape. Patients are bombarded with conflicting online advice. For people living with pain or chronic disease, this often creates fear or inaction. You can offer something rare: evidence-based, realistic, and individualised solutions that genuinely improve lives.

The demand is visible in practice

Exercise physiology is no longer confined to private clinics. Telehealth now reaches over 90% of AEP practice, embedded across Medicare, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, and the NDIS [6]. Hybrid models, remote supervision, and digital programming aren’t niche, they’re standard. This expands your reach, flexibility, and career options.

What this means for you

In 2026, entering exercise physiology is about more than job availability. It’s about positioning yourself where healthcare funding, policy, and population need intersect. Your skills can take you into public health, disability, ageing, digital health, preventative care and beyond.

The profession isn’t just growing in size, it’s growing in influence, relevance, and scope. Your career can grow with it.

The takeaway

Exercise physiologists are in high demand because the system needs what you provide: prevention over reaction, capacity over quick fixes, long term thinking over short term solutions.

If you’re ready to develop these skills and make a real impact, exercise physiology is not a fallback career. It’s a future-facing one.

At Longevity, we invest in our people because better health outcomes start with well supported exercise physiologists. Your career starts here.

Written by Caitlin (intern)

References

  1. Australian Government Department of Health. National Preventive Health Strategy 2021–2030. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia; 2021. Available from: https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2021/12/national-preventive-health-strategy-2021-2030-national-preventive-health-strategy-2021-2030-summary.pdf
  2. NSW Health. Exercise physiology workforce modelling. Sydney: NSW Government; 2023. Available from: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/workforce/modelling/Pages/exercise-physiology.aspx
  3. Jobs and Skills Australia. Employment projections by industry. Canberra: Australian Government; 2024. Available from: https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/data/employment-projections/industry
  4. Jobs and Skills Australia. Employment projections by occupation. Canberra: Australian Government; 2024. Available from: https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/data/employment-projections/occupation
  5. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Profile of Australia’s population. Canberra: AIHW; 2024. Available from: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-welfare/profile-of-australias-population
  6. Hall G, Laddu DR, Phillips SA, Lavie CJ, Arena R. A tale of two pandemics: how will COVID-19 and global trends in physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour affect one another? Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2021;64:108–110. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad.2020.04.005
  7. Deloitte Access Economics. Value of accredited exercise physiologists in Australia. Sydney: Deloitte; 2020. Available from: https://www.deloitte.com/au/en/services/economics/perspectives/value-exercise-physiologists-australia.html

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