The workforce needs of the senior living industry are stark – and they’re only growing more pronounced and demanding.
The statistics are eye-opening. The senior population is growing by 10,000 new seniors every day. Total employment in the senior living industry is projected to reach 1,181,000 by 2040, according to Argentum’s “Workforce Projections for Senior Care Sectors” report released last year. The projected growth, which is based on Bureau of Labor Statistics figures, would represent an increase of 32.9% from the industry’s 2021 employment level. In addition to the 292,500 new senior living industry jobs that will be created by 2040, there will be an additional 2.7 million job openings that result when employees either exit the labor force or transfer to a different occupation, according to the report.
In total, the senior living industry will need to fill more than 3 million openings between 2021 and 2040. The government numbers are specific to assisted living and continuing care retirement communities and do not even capture independent living or other senior living sectors. Speaking more broadly and in the shorter term, senior living, home health care, skilled nursing and the broader direct care workforce will need to attract more than 8.6 million workers over the next ten years, according to the Argentum report.
“When you look at the size of the need, it’s just huge,” said Ashante Abubakar, vice president for workforce development at Argentum. “We’re reaching a point where there are going to be more people in senior living communities than there are in elementary schools. The dynamics are shifting.”
And the pressure is growing.
“The biggest challenge is that seniors will choose senior living communities based on the offered amenities, lifestyle, and support, not to mention the trust they have in our workers and management,” according to the Argentum report. “The key to keeping seniors invested in our communities lies in attracting skilled workers and keeping up with seniors’ growing needs and expectations.”
With that in mind, Abubakar said it is clear that senior living operators will need to be creative and committed to meet the needs of the industry and to find enough workers to keep up with the rising demand for their services.
“The people who are in this business of providing for seniors are going to have to become more innovative, because the need is so great,” Abubakar said. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this out. They’re going to have to find new ways of finding workers so that this population of folks can be cared for going into the near future and beyond. It creates a need for urgency. This is not new, of course. Everyone in this business is aware of it. We’re going to have to find more people, and we’re going to have to get them into these jobs.”
Against that landscape, foreign-born workers offer an invaluable resource that Abubakar said remains relatively untapped in the senior living industry. In general, he said there is a lot to explore with employing foreign-born workers in the field that has yet to be fully explored. He believes many senior living employers are not aware of the extent of the help that is available from foreign-born workers or how to access those workers.
“We’re working to educate senior living employers, owners and operators about foreign-born populations and how they can reach out and find workers that are immigrants from other countries,” Abubakar said.
Understanding vital resources
Senior living can offer a range of positions for workers who do not have a college education or established skills, such as in maintenance and culinary roles, making it a natural fit for immigrants who have come to the U.S. in search of better career prospects without an extensive resume. Abubakar noted that the available population of foreign-born workers can vary depending on the political atmosphere and the administration in charge.
“They come in through various doorways but at the end of the day they are going to end up employed inside our workforce system,” Abubakar said. “These folks that are coming into the country are all going to be looking for work at some point. If you’re employed, you can start standing on your own feet.”
For many of them, employment will come through the American Job Centers, the federally funded employment offices that can be found throughout the country. “They are really the intake agency for these immigrants who are looking to work,” Abubakar said.
“We’re hoping to demystify the whole process,” Abubakar said. “There’s no secret to it. These folks end up in your communities typically through the workforce system set up by the state and federal government, and your access point to that workforce system is through the American Job Centers.”
Abubakar said the American Job Centers also help immigrants access English language training that can help them transition into their positions and grow in their roles. The American Job Centers help more than just foreign-born workers, of course, but anyone who is contending with unemployment or looking for work – from veterans who are leaving the military to newly graduated college students, Abubakar said – making it a highly valuable resource for any employer.
“It’s the state and federal government’s doorway for people looking for work, not just foreign-born workers, but everybody,” Abubakar said.
In addition, service organizations such as CASA, an immigrant advocacy organization, and the Tent Partnership for Refugees, which helps refugees enter the labor market, are working to help foreign-born workers in a variety of ways. In fact, Abubakar said there is “a whole universe” of service organizations that focus on immigrants and could be helpful resources and partners for senior living providers.
Consequently, Argentum is working to develop partnerships with some of the largest immigration service organizations in the United States. In particular, Abubakar said Argentum hopes to communicate with them about the growing career opportunities in the senior living industry and to find ways to strengthen connections between the field and the organizations that help immigrants.
“We need to partner with these immigration service organizations because they have the technical expertise and the cultural understanding to help us manage this population of folks and to better understand their needs and the issues they may encounter,” Abubakar said.
A guide that can help
With a focus on this pressing issue, Argentum has created the first edition of its Foreign-Born Workers Resource Guide (FBRG). The comprehensive guide, which totals 366 pages, aligns with Argentum’s overall workforce development and policy initiatives.
Argentum’s Foreign-Born Workers Resource Guide is filled with guidance for senior living organizations about recruiting and hiring foreign-born workers, and it includes how to find relevant resources in all 50 states.
“We are confident that the FBRG will serve as a valuable tool that can help facilitate inclusion, create connected communities and address key challenges faced by foreign-born employees and their families,” according to the guide’s introduction.
The guide is designed to provide a reliable and easy-to-use resource for employers in the senior living industry, as well as foreign-born career-seekers who wish to better understand the issues, challenges and resources available to them. Argentum’s emphasis on the issue in the guide and elsewhere is to celebrate and support diversity within its communities while helping to overcome immigration and work permit concerns, language barriers, cultural differences, and social issues, among other challenges.
The guide is organized into seven essential sections, offering comprehensive informa- tion and resources on various topics relevant to the needs and challenges faced by foreign-born workers and their families. Those sections include:
- Immigration Data: Offers statistics, research, and resources for understanding the current immigration landscape.
- Employment: Provides support and resources about foreign-born workers, job seekers, employers and career development.
- Education: Connects individuals to educational opportunities, community colleges and skill development programs.
- Healthcare: Gives access to healthcare services, insurance information and wellness resources across the U.S.
- Family Services: Connects families with resources for childcare, schools, family support programs and more.
- Housing: Assists with locating affordable and culturally sensitive housing options and resources.
- Legal: Offers guidance on legal aspects of immigration, employment, housing and other relevant issues.
Each section includes a list of organizations, contact information and links to relevant websites when available. The guide is built to be easily searched for the best resources on individual topics and to allow Argentum’s members throughout the country to access resources that are tailored to their specific needs.
Argentum is hoping to bring clarity on the topic of foreign-born workers to its members in a variety of ways and to help demonstrate the potential benefits of a more ambitious approach to the issue.
“As the senior living industry continues to experience ongoing labor shortages, Argentum is dedicated to providing solutions to help address these challenges by helping to promote a diverse and vibrant workforce for our members,” according to the new resource guide. “We recognize the immense value the foreign-born workers bring, enriching our economy, our industries, and our lives with their skills, talents and unique cultural contributions.”
