Making manpower work

Should recruitment policy be a function of the universities, the profession, the employers, the GOC or should it be left to market forces? When Optician examined optical manpower in the late 1990s, this was the question that provoked debate on all sides.

Findings from the Women of Vision survey conducted by Optician and CIBA Vision suggest this question applies as much today as it did then. Despite high levels of satisfaction with their careers, nearly one in five optometrists and dispensing opticians say they are likely to leave the profession over the next five years and more than two in five plan to reduce their working hours (News 05.11.10).