NEJM Catalyst Report Questions the Impact of COVID-19 on Health Care Staffing

NEJM Catalyst published a December 2023 report, "The Great Resignation, Employment, and Wages in Health Care," which reviewed data from March 2006 to June 2023. Using the Current Employment Statistics, the report found that while COVID-19 did cause a dramatic change in employment patterns across health care settings, it was short-lived-with the exception of aging services.

While employment levels in physician offices and hospitals rebounded within one year, which is faster than the rest of the economy now exceeding pre-pandemic levels. Nursing homes and residential facilities, however, have yet to fully recover.

Over the course of 15 years, it is notable that the highest wage growth occurred in physician offices and hospitals-and the least in nursing homes. Between January 2020 and June 2023, wages in nursing homes and residential wages increased by 7% per year, exceeding the average annual inflation rate of 5%.