Is nursing home staffing bouncing back? The numbers suggest better days could be ahead:
- August saw an employment leap of 12,000-plus jobs, with healthcare adding 412,000 jobs over the year.
- Skilled nursing facility (SNF) labor data is similarly promising. Numbers for July and August suggest that wage growth is better controlled and total employment and aggregate hours increased slightly.
However, it is important to note that there is still a way to go. About 21% of the sector’s workforce hasn’t return to work since the pandemic. And as of June, about 94% of nursing home operators said that they’re still facing staffing shortages. Nonetheless, average hourly earnings are up, and this is predicted to attract more workers.
