Report: Even ‘healthiest’ occupations lack presence in rural areas
CONTACT: Scott Swanson
Moonsail North
(517) 582-0084
LANSING, Mich.—(July 19, 2023)—Nearly all health care occupations in Michigan are projected to experience workforce shortages between now and 2032, according to the Michigan Healthcare Workforce Index—a comprehensive, first-of-its-kind report assessing the outlook of 36 health care jobs in the state.
“This is not meant to be a ranking of which health care jobs are best and which are worst,” said Craig Donahue, vice president and chief operating officer of the Michigan Health Council (MHC), the solutions-oriented health care nonprofit behind the report. “Our goal is to provide leaders and decision-makers with critical, easy-to-understand data so they can grasp the current state of individual occupations and the collective health care workforce across a range of factors. This will help guide our state toward implementing policies that will create a strong, sustainable health care workforce.”
The report was released today by MHC Insight’s Solutions Net, a newly launched constellation of products and services that catalyze data on healthcare workforce gaps into actionable talent solutions accessible to organizations statewide. Powered by MHC, MHC Insight is Michigan’s preeminent resource for data, analysis, and labor market intelligence on critical issues facing Michigan’s healthcare workforce.
The index ranked the occupations by calculating projections based on four variables:
Growth: The percentage the occupation was expected to grow over the next ten years
Wage: The occupation’s 2021 median wage and 2011 median wage were combined to determine by what percentage the occupation’s wage had increased (or decreased) over ten years
Turnover: The level of movement taking place in the occupation
Shortage: A comparison of how many openings an occupation is expected to have over the next ten years to the educational supply
The “healthiest” occupation over the next 10 years is projected to be nurse practitioners, while dental assistants were projected as the “least” healthy. The index also found that even occupations not projected to experience statewide shortages still have distribution problems, as many occupations lack a presence in rural areas.
In addition, mental health occupations—ranging from community health workers to psychologists—face immense shortages and competitive wage challenges that raise concerns about the health of these occupations over the next decade.
“The data clearly shows that there are challenges facing Michigan’s health care industry—but it reveals compelling opportunities, as well,” said Michelle Wein, director of research at MHC. “We hope that the insights gleaned from the index will spark informed discussions about the best ways to build out Michigan’s health care workforce capacity.”
Solutions Net is supported by a grant from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund.
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About the Michigan Health Council, MHC Insight and Solutions Net
Michigan Health Council (MHC) is a solutions-oriented nonprofit with a seven-decade track record of developing sustainable programming for healthcare employers, educators, and professionals. A partner in building healthcare workforce capacity, MHC is the force behind MHC Insight—Michigan’s preeminent resource for data, analysis, and labor market intelligence on critical issues facing Michigan’s healthcare workforce.
Through a grant from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund, MHC Insight now also houses Solution Net, a constellation of products and services that catalyze data on healthcare workforce gaps into actionable talent solutions accessible to organizations statewide.
About the Michigan Health Endowment Fund
The Michigan Health Endowment Fund works to improve the health and wellness of Michigan residents and reduce the cost of healthcare, with a special focus on children and seniors. You can find more information about the Health Fund at mihealthfund.org