According to a new employment report released on June 7 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the number of new jobs in home healthcare continues to rise. The home healthcare services sector added approximately 13,900 jobs from March to April and 19,600 jobs from April to May. In May of this year, total home healthcare employment exceeded 1.7 million, showing a growth of more than 9.5% compared to May of the previous year.
This growth trajectory aligns with findings from a report by the healthcare research and consulting firm Altarum. The report highlighted that home health was the fastest-growing healthcare segment by employment in 2023, adding 100,000 jobs during that year.
Healthcare Jobs Across Various Sectors
Based on data from April to May, hospitals added 15,000 jobs, physicians’ offices increased employment by 13,400, and nursing homes grew by 10,600 jobs. Overall, the healthcare sector workforce expanded by about 68,000 in May, aligning with the past year’s average monthly increase of 64,000 jobs.
However, there has been a decline in job postings for prospective healthcare workers, with job openings in the healthcare and social assistance sectors decreasing by 204,000 from April to May. The BLS also reported a ratio of 0.8 unemployed individuals per job opening, indicating there are about 1.2 jobs available for every person seeking employment. Approximately 1.5 million people in the United States are not currently in the labor force but are actively seeking jobs, while another 5.7 million are not seeking employment. About 462,000 individuals are considered “discouraged workers,” believing there are no jobs available for them.
Home Health Staffing Challenges
The increase in home healthcare jobs highlights the industry’s growing demand and business potential. However, despite the increase in jobs, many agencies still face significant challenges in finding new workers due to competition with other healthcare providers for the same talent pool.
To address staffing challenges, home healthcare agencies must enhance both staff retention and recruitment efforts simultaneously. To attract new clinicians, many agencies offer sign-on bonuses. To retain them, agencies should focus on improving the work experience of clinicians by reducing their paperwork to prevent burnout and enable more focus on patient care.
