National Workforce Crisis facing Long-Term Services and Supports
The United States is experiencing a significant shortage of, and a growing demand for, qualified workers who are
capable of managing, supervising, and providing high-quality services and supports for older adults.
Several trends are fueling this national workforce crisis
A Rapidly Growing Older Population
A Growing Need for Assistance
76%
The population of adults age 65 and older will increase
from 47.8 million in 2015 to 88 million in 2050.
2015
70%
47.8 M
2050
The U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services estimates
that nearly 70% of people who
reach the age of 65 will ultimately
need some form of long-term
services and supports (LTSS).
88 M
By 2035, the number of
older households with
a disability will increase
by 76% to reach 31.2M
17 M
OLDER HOUSEHOLD
WITH MOBILITY
DISABILITY
12 M SELF-CARE DISABILITY
27 M ACTIVITY DISABILITY
The projected percentage increase in the number of positions employed in
long-term care between 2010 and 2030 are the following:
A Growing Need for Workers
The nation will need 2.5 million LTSS workers by 2030 to keep up
with the growth of America’s aging population.
94% 93% 88% 73%
Counselors and
social workers Community and
social service
workers Home health aides
and personal
care aides RNs
68% 67%
Nursing
assistants Food preparation
and serving
workers
70%
LPNs
69%
Building and
ground maintenance
workers
What Does an Unstable Workforce Mean for Providers?
1. High provider costs.
It’s expensive to continuously
recruit and train new workers
and to use temporary,
contract staff.
2. Concerns about access and
quality. A shortage of workers
means that consumers have more
problems accessing services. Worker
shortages can also compromise
quality of care and quality of life for
LTSS consumers.
3. Poor working conditions. Staff shortages often
cause hardships for workers who remain on the job.
These hardships include extreme workloads for both
nurses and direct care worker staff, inadequate
supervision, lost time as new workers learn their jobs,
and high accident and injury rates. More workers are
currently leaving the LTSS sector than are entering it.
Shortage of Workers Trained in Geriatrics
1 : 4,254 1 : 20,195
By 2030 the projected need
for geriatric physicians is
36,000 but the projected
number is 7,750 or one
geriatric physician for every
4,254 older Americans. By 2030 the projected
number of geriatric
psychiatrists is 1,659 or
one for every 20,195
older Americans.
4% of social workers and less than 1% of
physician assistants identify themselves
as specializing in geriatrics.
< 1%
Less than 1% of RNs and pharmacists are
certified in geriatrics • Less than 1% of
practicing physical therapists are certified
as geriatric clinical specialists.
Visit LeadingAge.org/Workforce for recruitment and retention practices
yielding great results as well as tools, resource materials and more!
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