An analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data found nursing homes have experienced the worst job loss of any healthcare sector.
The analysis, conducted by American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living and released in January, also found:
- Nursing homes lost 210,000 jobs between February 2020 and December 2022.
- Job growth in 2022 was slower than projected. At the current pace, nursing homes would not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2027.
- Nursing homes continue to struggle while most healthcare industries have rebounded to pre-pandemic job levels. The nursing home workforce is at levels not seen since 1994.
According to a recent American Health Care Association report, 96 percent of nursing homes still experience difficulty hiring staff despite increasing wages and offering bonuses.
"The data doesn't lie. This is not just an exaggerated call for help, and this labor crisis will not go away on its own or through government enforcement," Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of AHCA and NCAL, said in an association news release. "Our nursing homes are struggling to recruit caregivers, and if we do not get meaningful assistance soon, then the consequence will be hundreds of thousands of seniors displaced. We need immediate support, but we also need long-term investments and programs from policymakers to attract individuals to serve our nation's seniors."