Assisted living facilities and nursing homes are experiencing a worse labor crisis than any other healthcare sector, according to a report from the American Health Care Association / National Center for Assisted Living. 

Assisted living communities have seen industry employment levels drop by 38,000 jobs (an 8.2% loss) since the beginning of the pandemic, while nursing homes experienced a loss of 220,000 jobs (14%), according to October employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

While hospitals (1.6% job loss), physicians’ offices (0.8% job gains), outpatient care centers (1.5% job gains) and other healthcare facilities have reached or surpassed pre-pandemic staffing levels, long-term care continues to experience “substantial job losses,” according to AHCA / NCAL.

As caregivers report feeling “burned out” by the pandemic, they are leaving the field for other healthcare settings or other industries altogether, said AHCA / NCAL President and CEO Mark Parkinson.

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