There is a growing demand for allied health services in Australia fuelled by population and policy changes. This has led to an increase in universities offering allied health programs. However, employers continue to report difficult recruiting to positions. It is important to understand the employment preferences of allied health students to identify how to prepare them for available roles and how to attract and retain them in those roles. This has been an under-researched area in Australia. My objective for this presentation is to discuss and evaluate the findings of my research, which explored the employment preferences and factors influencing employment decisions among final year speech-language pathology and occupational therapy students graduating in Australia in 2023. There were 84 students from 27 university programs who completed a cross-sectional survey, designed to capture their attitudes, preferences and influences. Both speech-language pathology and occupational therapy students identified the same top three factors as influential for employment decisions: (1) inclusive and positive workplace culture, (2) supervision and support and (3) work-life balance. Their reasons for selecting these were varied but included a recognition of the need for ongoing learning and mentoring and a desire to avoid burnout. In contrast to older research from other disciplines and other countries, the factors Australian allied health students deem important are different, with financial incentives regarded less highly. The incentives offered by employers may need to change to align with the wants and needs of new graduates. Given the perceived importance of work environment, culture and support, these factors could be emphasised when developing recruitment and retention policies and processes and embedded into practice.

1. The factors students deem as important have changed over the last few decades, with the incentives offered by employers needing to change to align with the preferences of new graduates.
2. Team dynamics, supervision and support and work-life balance are the most influential factors to final-year allied health students and should be considered when developing recruitment and retention policies and processes.
3. Employers looking to hire new graduates may seek partnership with university programs as clinical placements offer opportunities to influence students employment preferences.