Health worker squeeze will vary by state
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Continued worker burnout and more demand for care from an aging population will drive health care workforce shortages into 2028 — though with significant variations by state, according to a Mercer analysis.
Why it matters: While there's been considerable attention paid to physician shortages, the analysis highlights an acute need for more nurse practitioners, even in states like California and Texas that will have overall surpluses of health workers.
By the numbers: The U.S. is expected to be short 100,000 health care workers by 2028, Mercer projects.
- New York will be short about 61,000 health care workers, or a more than 4% gap between supply and demand. New Jersey, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida could all be more than 10,000 workers short of meeting patient demand.
- North Dakota, meanwhile, will have a nearly 5% surplus of health care workers by 2028.
Zoom in: Most states should have enough registered nurses to meet patient needs in 2028, and the country as a whole is expected to have a surplus of 30,000 RNs that year.
- But nearly every state will be short of nurse practitioners, despite employment of NPs growing faster than nearly all other jobs, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Only 13 states will be able to meet the demand for nursing aides.
