“Big rise: More than 43,000 jobs open in long-term care as leaders plot,” by Marty Stempniak, McKnight’s LTC News

“New data from the CEB TalentNeuron reveals that as of this week, there are 43,531 jobs posted by direct employers at nursing homes, along with assisted living facilities and continuing care retirement communities. That’s an increase of more than 10,000 positions when compared to a typical month in 2018, the American Health Care Association noted in a blog post Tuesday. ‘There is no question that long-term care providers are dealing with a workforce crisis and one of the main reasons for that is low unemployment,’ Beth Martino, senior vice president of public affairs for the AHCA, said Wednesday.”

LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform):

Low unemployment is part of the problem. But the other, bigger problem, that won’t go away when unemployment increases, is the notoriously low salaries for caregivers caused by excessive dependency on inadequate Medicaid reimbursement rates.