July jobs data shows that a third of the jobs created were in health care. Within that sector, the home health industry has seen significant gains — a 6% employment increase over the past year.

But it’s a difficult field to hire in. So much so that a recent industry report found that a quarter of patients are being turned away from care due to lack of staff.

Home health care is one of the many things COVID-19 has changed. 

“People sought safer locations for care than they might have had in some sort of congregate or inpatient setting,” said Bill Dombi with the National Association for Home Care and Hospice. “It also accelerated an awareness of the capabilities of care at home.” 

There’s a problem, though: The population is aging, expanding the need. Another problem: There are not enough nurses. 

“It’s kind of the perfect storm now,” said Scott Williams of Interim HealthCare, a network of franchises with as many as 3,000 job openings. “Our franchisees are really in a constant hiring state at this point.”

Without enough staff, more older Americans have to stay in hospitals longer than they need to, according to Pat Driscoll with Texas Woman’s University.

“Or they have to go into a nursing home,” she added. “And very frankly, older folks don’t recuperate as well.”

And it’s hurting the bottom lines of companies that are competing for nurses with higher-paying hospitals. Often when home care companies do pay higher salaries, “the cost of the care is more than the reimbursement.”

“A lot of agencies are unable to stay in business because of it,” explained Mary Gibbons Myers, who ran Johns Hopkins Home Care Group for several years.

She added that because insurers reimburse home health care at a lower rate than hospitals, companies struggle to compete.