Senior living offers something many careers cannot: the opportunity to build meaningful relationships and make a genuine difference in people’s lives. That sense of purpose remains one of the industry’s greatest workforce strengths, but purpose alone is not enough to retain talented employees.
The new 2026 Perceptions of Careers in Senior Living report, developed by Argentum and Activated Insights, reveals a workforce deeply committed to its mission while facing persistent pressures related to compensation, staffing, management and workplace culture.
Nearly 95% of respondents said they are likely to remain in jobs where they feel their work has purpose. At the same time, 62.3% identified noncompetitive pay as the leading reason they might leave the industry, while 85.4% said fair pay is extremely important to job satisfaction.
The findings also make clear that retention is about more than compensation. Positive team culture ranked as the top factor influencing employees to stay long term, even ahead of pay. Conversely, nearly half of respondents pointed to poor supervisor relationships and workplace culture as factors that could drive them away.
These findings raise important questions for senior living leaders: Are employees receiving the support they need from their managers? Do staffing levels allow them to do their best work? Can they see opportunities to grow? And does the everyday employee experience reflect the sense of purpose that initially attracted them to senior living?
Turning Workforce Data into Action
On Tuesday, August 18, Argentum and Activated Insights will bring together workforce experts and senior living leaders for New Data on What Keeps and Loses Senior Living Talent, a 40-minute conversation exploring what the research means for recruitment, retention and workplace culture.
The discussion will feature:
- Ashante Abubakar, Vice President, Workforce Development, Argentum
- Todd Austin, President, Activated Insights
- Tommy Comer, Vice President of Human Resources, Charter Senior Living
Together, they will unpack how employee expectations have changed since Argentum’s landmark 2016 workforce study, where familiar challenges remain and what organizations can do to create workplaces where talented people feel valued, supported and able to build lasting careers.
Whether you are reviewing your recruitment strategy, addressing turnover or looking for practical ways to strengthen culture, this session will provide a data-backed view of what employees are telling the industry, and how leaders can respond.
New Data on What Keeps and Loses Senior Living Talent
Tuesday, August 18, 2026
1:00–1:40 p.m. ET
Register for the webinar and download the 2026 Perceptions of Careers in Senior Living report.