Why is there such a caregiver shortage, and is it going to get worse?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects home health and personal care aide jobs to grow 18 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average, with about 760,500 openings a year. Many openings come from workers who leave for other jobs or leave work. Pay and demand both push the same way.
The numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) are clear:
- Employment of home health and personal care aides is projected to grow 18 percent from 2025 to 2035. BLS calls that much faster than average.
- About 760,500 openings a year are projected on average over the decade.
- Many openings come from the need to replace workers who move to other occupations or leave the labor force, for example to retire.
- The median pay in May 2025 was $35,800 a year, or $17.21 an hour.
What that means for you: you are competing for a limited number of workers, and every agency, hospital and nursing home is too. Pay is only part of it. Some things are in your hands: steady schedules and paychecks that are right and on time. That last point is practice advice, not a BLS finding.
A few steps:
- Keep pay on time and correct.
- Give schedules early and keep them steady.
- Check in with new caregivers in their first week.
- Say thank you in a way that is real.
The BLS page does not give a turnover rate for home care, so I have not used one.
How CareBravo® helps
Hiring and Retention are two of the nine jobs CareBravo does, so finding and keeping caregivers does not rest on the owner alone.
Sources
- Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Occupational Outlook Handbook · U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Reviewed by Beth Bledsoe, Care Business Advisor®, 28 Oct 2026. Rules change. Confirm with your state Medicaid agency before you act.
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