News: Nursing home staffing reaches levels lower than they’ve been since 1994, data shows

According to year-end data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), over the course of the pandemic nursing homes have lost 210,000 jobs. This makes them the hardest hit healthcare sector, with the lowest nursing home workforce since 1994 according to further analysis of the data by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL). Currently, facilities are adding an average of 3,700 jobs per month for the last nine months, HealthLeaders reported, but at this pace will not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2027.

“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,” said Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of AHCA/NCAL, in a statement. “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.”

In response to such staffing shortages, nursing homes have been forced to limit admissions and hospitals have experienced significant backlog of patients ready to be discharged and moved to a facility. In the face of these problems, some nursing homes have even had to close permanently.

To combat the situation, the AHCA/NCAL analysis suggests that long-term investments and programs need to be put in place to help the long-term care to recover. Action from policymakers to provide immediate and long-term support alleviating financial challenges is recommended as well. While some facilities have tried offering increased wages and bonuses, they’ve found little success so far. The Biden Administration is considering the implementation of a staffing minimum, but this may only worsen the workforce crisis without proper resources.

Editor’s note: To read HealthLeaders’ coverage of this story, click here. To access the BLS data, click here.