If the nursing home industry continues to fill staffing gaps at its current rate, it will take until at least 2026 to return to pre-pandemic levels without assistance, an Aug. 8 report from the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living found.
The report projected based on the nursing home industry's average job growth from the last four months, which has increased by 4,600 jobs monthly.
"Our caregivers, who are working themselves ragged, and our growing elderly population can’t afford to wait another four years," said Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of AHCA/NCAL. "The long term care workforce needs a boost now. We urge federal and state policymakers to put their support behind policies that attract and retain caregivers for our nation's seniors."
Three notes:
- The nursing home industry has lost 223,700 jobs during the pandemic.
- The long-term care industry has lost 362,700 jobs during the pandemic.
- Current industry workforce levels have not been seen since 1994.