The US Public Health Workforce Is 80,000 People Short. Here’s How to Fix That

Talent wars and worker shortages have been hallmarks of the labor market in the past few years and that’s been especially true in health care. For public health workers, the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated an already acute shortage. Almost half of all employees working at state and local public health agencies left their jobs between 2017 and 2021, according to an analysis published earlier this year. And a hefty portion of staff still report wanting to quit. If the trend continues, the US could lose 129,000 workers over the next two years.

To stop the exodus, former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chief Rochelle Walensky said that the US public health system needs to step it up in the fight for talent. She knows the field has a tough sell to make — particularly to young doctors, public health school graduates and other skilled workers who face a mountain of school debt and are being courted by more lucrative jobs in science and medicine. Now’s the time to build political will behind recruitment and retention tactics such as debt relief, hazard pay, and work-from-home benefits, she says.