PHI issues its annual data report Direct Care Workers in the United States: Key Facts 2024, describing the direct care workforce in three settings: home care, residential care, and nursing homes. The report addresses worker demographics, occupational roles, job quality challenges, and projected job openings. PHI notes that even with pandemic-related increases, median annual earnings remain low ($25,015 for all direct care workers), leading to recruitment and retention challenges in all three settings. Over the next decade, PHI identifies an increased need for direct care workers in home and community-based settings (HCBS) and a decreased need for direct care workers in nursing homes, reflecting consumer preferences and public policies that increase HCBS funding.
September 11, 2024 – T. Edelman