Health care is losing experienced workers faster than it can replace them. By 2038, the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) projects staffing shortfalls of nearly half a million doctors and nurses, with rural and underserved communities absorbing the worst of the shortage.
Organizations can help close the gap by retaining experienced workers. Globally, one in six people will be over age 60 by 2030, a 40% increase from today. Most employers recognize the value older workers bring: 83% say multi-generational workforces are an asset, yet fewer than 5% have concrete policies to support one. Organizations can tap into this growing talent pool by creating age-friendly workplaces.
Supporting workers of all ages is an important part of talent strategy, succession planning, and workforce design. When promotion decisions favor younger candidates, or when roles aren’t structured to keep experienced workers engaged, organizations pay in turnover and lost institutional knowledge. But organizations that hire and support workers at all ages can strengthen training and development pipelines and help retain workers longer. Health care organizations that thrive in the coming decades will be the ones that recognize the value of experienced workers early and build the structures to keep them.
This playbook walks through six practice areas to help health care organizations create an age-friendly workplace.