Vital Signs 2022

VITAL SIGNS

Challenges to the Healthcare Labor Pool: Shortages Across Talent & Geography Nearly 1.5 million healthcare jobs were lost during the first two months of the pandemic as clinics were temporarily closed and non-emergency services were restricted or postponed. Though many jobs have since returned, healthcare employment remains below pre-pandemic levels, down 1.1% or 176,000 fewer workers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This decrease will continue, as the number of retirement-age physicians will almost double from the current 12% to 21% by 2026. States in the Northeast, including Maine, Rhode Island, Vermont and New Jersey are expected to feel this strain more acutely. In addition, 29 states will not be able to keep up with demand for nurses over the next five years, as more than 900,000 are expected to permanently leave the profession. Pennsylvania and North Carolina are expected to be hit the hardest by this shortage. However, 21 southern states, including Georgia, Florida and Texas, are expected to see a surplus in health care talent as a result of strong demographic growth across the Sun Belt. Currently, 9.7 million people work in lower-paying healthcare-sector jobs, including home health aide positions, the need for which will continue to rise over the next five years. But at the current rate, more than 6.5 million workers will vacate those positions, and fewer than 2 million will fill those roles. California and New York are expected to suffer the greatest hits, with each of the two states projected to lose a half million members of the workforce by 2026.

VITAL SIGNS 2022: PERSPECTIVES ON HEALTHCARE AND MEDICAL OFFICE BUILDINGS