Demand for full-time workers in long-term nursing facilities is projected to increase by 42% between 2021 and 2036, but the number of people entering the field is not keeping up with demand, ABC News reported May 24.
By 2030, about 20% of the nation's population will be 65 or older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. An American Health Care Association survey of nursing home providers found that almost all have open jobs and difficulty recruiting. The recent nursing home minimum staffing mandate has added panic to the industry as most administrators say they are struggling to fill vacancies, according to the report.
Here are five things to know about staffing in nursing homes:
- Some nursing homes said they see all their employees leave within a year.
- Demand for direct care workers is expected to grow 42%.
- Direct care workers make an average salary of $33,380, according to the Census Bureau, and half of them rely on public assistance, according to a January HHS report.
- The industry is expected to add nearly 800,000 direct care jobs by 2032.
- Among direct care workers, demand for psychiatric aides is projected to grow by 135%, nursing assistants by 44%, personal care aides by 40% and home health aides by 38%, a Health Resources and Services Administration report found.