Most hospitals and health systems are bolstering pay and benefits to help attract and retain talent amid increasing employee turnover, which is expected to continue to challenge the healthcare industry in 2024, according to a Dec. 13 survey published by Aon.

The layoff process used to be abrupt: a worker learns their job has been cut and they leave the same day (sometimes with a security escort). Now, some companies are alerting employees that their roles will be eliminated months in advance, The Wall Street Journal reported Dec. 10. 

Specifics of the 2024 U.S. labor market remain to be seen. However, there have been some 2023 trends to note moving into next year, including higher labor force participation, wage gains and a strong healthcare industry.

Doing less at work can, indeed, yield better health outcomes, according to a Dec. 4 article from Cleveland Clinic. 

Healthcare/products companies and manufacturers, including hospitals, have announced the third-most job cuts year to date among 30 industries and sectors measured, according to new analysis shared with Becker's.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation Dec. 6 that would increase fines for assaults on healthcare workers. 

U.S. job openings decreased to 8.7 million in October, the fewest since March 2021, led by healthcare and social assistance employers.

Tommy Ibrahim, MD, who is stepping down as president and CEO of Cooperstown, N.Y.-based Bassett Healthcare Network by the year's end, spoke on Sanford Health's podcast about bolstering the future rural healthcare workforce. 

The company culture and pay/promotion practices vary widely at the big four for-profit health systems, according to the most recent American Opportunity Index. 

Experts estimate that the arrivals of least 10,000 foreign nurses have been postponed indefinitely by the United States' mismatched demand and supply of immigrant visas, Bloomberg reports. 

Over the past decade, hospital jobs have grown in most major U.S. cities — but not all of them, according to a Dec. 1 analysis from Sechel Ventures. 

Somerville, Mass.-based Mass General Brigham said it will reduce its digital workforce, which represents the technology arm of the organization.

While staffing needs continue to evolve across hospitals and health systems, shortages aren't going anywhere for the foreseeable future — prompting healthcare leaders to hone their workforce strategies in ways that uphold quality patient care and drive volume, efficiency, and revenue.

As companies attempt to lure workers back into the office, they'll need to strike a delicate balance between rewarding on-site work and penalizing noncompliance — offering "carrots" and prodding with "sticks," as Glassdoor put it in a Nov. 15 report. 

One-hundred percent of interns at Northwell Health and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital would recommend the programs to a friend, according to a recent analysis from the resume building website Resume.io. 

Houston Methodist, the first health system in the U.S. to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine, said it was implementing a new employment policy to comply with a new Texas law. 

While more American companies mull the benefits of a four-day workweek, Bill Gates is imagining even less time spent in the office.

As we look ahead, it’s important to see where we’ve been, what trends will continue, and what we can expect in healthcare staffing throughout 2024. The current workforce includes a potential for overworked clinicians, burnout, and reduced patient care—unless hospital leaders strategically implement solutions to combat this.

As long ER wait times loom across the U.S., Kentucky is facing an "acute shortage" of healthcare workers, a Kentucky Hospital Association report shows. 

Some companies are working to make their spaces more instagrammable in a bid to attract younger workers back to the office — one that pairs the comfort of a living room with the stylish and glamorous appeal of a vacation, according to The New York Times.