Nursing Homes add 1,600 jobs in February

According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), nursing homes added a total of 1,600 jobs in February, which is a modest increase compared to home health and physician offices which gained 20,000 and 15,000 jobs respectively.

BLS data found that the sector added 3,800 jobs from December 2021 to January 2022. To put this into perspective, nursing home hires declined every month in 2021 except in October and December. Since the beginning of the pandemic, this sector has lost nearly 238,000 workers. But long-term care still need immediate assistance as well as a long-term solution to recruiting and retaining employees, says the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) in an email. 

The AHCA/NCAL added in the email, "We’ve been calling for help, but little assistance has been provided. We need policymakers to prioritize long-term care and work with us to develop a comprehensive strategy to address this crisis." Overall, employment in the healthcare department rose by 64,000 last month. 

Source: Skilled Nursing News