AHCA/NCAL Report: LTC Industry Facing Worst Job Loss Among All Health Care Providers

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP
Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare

“The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) have released a report showing long term care facilities are suffering from the worst labor crisis and job loss than any other health care sector. Nursing homes alone have seen their industry’s employment level drop by 14 percent, or 221,000 jobs, since the beginning of the pandemic and more than any other health sector.

While hospitals, physicians’ offices, outpatient care centers, and other health care facilities have reached or surpassed pre-pandemic staffing levels, nursing homes and assisted living communities are still experiencing substantial job losses, according to the latest October employment data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.”[1]

Note also in the following infographic, that Assisted Living communities also suffered significant job loss –> 38,000 during the pandemic. Together these 2 PAC settings lost 259,000 jobs.

Physician offices and Outpatient Care Centers have fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
Home Health agencies and hospitals are near/at full recovery at pre-pandemic levels.

Anyone that doesn’t believe that the COVID-19 pandemic/PHE has had crippling effects on long-term care communities, raise your hand then go back and look at the infographic.