Hiring in the health care field continues to grow as employers in the sector saw an estimated 56,700 more jobs in the month of June.
Nursing care facilities specifically added 5,400 workers last month, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, but the industry still employs more than 200,000 fewer workers compared to pre-Covid staffing levels.
The health care sector overall in comparison is down 176,000 positions — or 1.1% — since February 2020.
June’s preliminary data was an uptick compared to May, when the industry had gained 1,300 nursing home jobs of the 28,000 health care positions.
But challenges for the nursing home industry still remain.
The American Health Care Association (AHCA) has projected that more than 400 nursing homes could close by the end of the year, largely due to staffing challenges that continue to trouble the sector.
In a recent survey of senior care executives, 20% of respondents indicated that they did not anticipate improvements in staffing challenges until 2024, and 30% believed improvements would not come until 2025 or later.
The National Investment Center For Seniors Housing & Care (NIC) executive survey found that 20% of respondents report the severity of staffing shortages is severe, 71% report them to be moderate, and 8% report them as minimal.
Operators also reported the pace of move-ins from May 31 to June 26 declined substantially for nursing care residences (37%).
In the previous month’s NIC survey, 68% of nursing home executives reported an acceleration in the pace of move-ins.
The survey includes responses from owners and executives of 61, small, medium and large senior housing and skilled nursing operators across the nation.
Companies featured in this article:
Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care, NIC
