The number of people working in home-, community- and facility-based care remains well below pre-pandemic levels, while the need for such caregivers continues to rise – and demographics are a big reason for both of these challenges.

Minnesota's median age continues to inch up – meaning there are fewer people of working age and there is greater need for people to provide care and support as Minnesotans grow older. Minnesota is not alone in this demographic shift: the U.S. Census Bureau released a report this month showing how dramatically U.S. demographics are shifting as more and more Baby Boomers are moving further into their retirement years. The median U.S. age is now 38.9, up from 30 in 1980.

Due to this demographic shift – Minnesota has a higher percentage of its population in the Baby Boomer generation than the nation as a whole – Minnesota's labor force is not growing quickly enough to meet demand. In fact, without an increase in international or domestic migration, it's not expected to grow much at all over the next two decades. For this reason, direct care – sometimes called Caring Career – positions will continue to witness high demand. This is due in part due to Baby Boomers needing more services as they age, but also because people will keep retiring from or otherwise moving on from direct care positions.

That's why DEED, the Minnesota Department of Human Services, and other state, regional and local workforce development and other professionals are engaged in the Follow Your Heart to a Caring Career campaign right now to help raise awareness about employment opportunities in direct care. The campaign asks people to consider making a real difference in the lives of others by providing care and support to elders and Minnesotans with disabilities in their homes, in the community and in nursing homes and other facilities. These positions can be a great start on a career path in health care, social services, education or other fields. In most cases, a high school diploma or equivalent is all that is required. Employers pay for initial training in many cases – and they may also pay for future training to help people grow in their career. Many employers welcome employees who are learning English.

A new article in the current issue of Minnesota Economic Trends highlights how the pandemic exacerbated existing workforce challenges in the direct care or Caring Career workforce. While employment for direct care positions in Minnesota hospitals is back to its immediately pre-pandemic level, employment in the Nursing & Residential Care and Home Health Care Services industries are still well below their level prior to early 2020. Nursing & Residential Care is almost 5,000 jobs below its level in January 2020, or 4.5% lower. Home Health Care Services is 2,000 workers lower, or 7.8%. Direct care occupations are in high demand, totaling 12% of job vacancies statewide. Find out more about the severe direct care workforce shortage, how critically high demand is pushing up wages in some cases and more labor market analysis in the article Minnesota's Direct Care Workforce by Assistant Labor Market Information Office Director Oriane Casale.