HRSA has published projections of demand and supply of numerous professions. Several years ago, the Government Accountability Office examined the lack of projections for front-line direct-care workers and requested that HRSA develop such projections. Creating these projections is conceptually challenging due to the lack of licensure or certification for most direct-care occupations, lack of common definitions across data sources, and the frequent movements of workers between employment sectors. Current estimates of workforce shortages are generally not reliable because states do not systematically collect the necessary workforce supply data, measures of care need and setting vary, and many workforce databases aggregate data or use different terminology. In addition, there are few analyses that look at region-specific shortages. In this report we propose a series of quantitative indicators that could be used to designate a LTC workforce shortage and a process to evaluate and fund local LTC workforce investment.
Key Questions
- What strategies can be used to identify regional and occupational shortfalls of the LTC workforce supply?
- Which occupations could feasibly be included in future forecasting reports based on conceptual approaches to defining demand and supply, and the usefulness of secondary data sources?
For more information, contact Susan Chapman.