Statewide and nationally, hospital leaders cite the workforce crisis as the top operational issue. These rates (2021 data) were near or above record levels before the pandemic and have exceeded the 2020 levels. COVID-19 has caused significant disruption in the health care workforce, making the long- and short-term challenges for care delivery and workforce sustainability considerably more pronounced.

The data in the Missouri Hospital Association’s 2022 Annual Workforce Report reflect the status of the hospital workforce in 2021, thus continuing to reflect a COVID-19 workforce. This report finds increased vacancy and turnover rates among the majority of health care positions surveyed. The data indicate that both turnover and vacancy rates among all professions surveyed reached an all-time high statewide. The 17% vacancy rate represents an 87% increase in vacancies since 2020.

Read the full report.