Ziegler Report: CCRC Workforce and Wages

(Aug. 27, 2024) Drawing from several sources, the most recent issue of Z-News shared mixed news on staffing and wage trends in Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) since 2019.

A look at five-year wage trends from a recent Argentum report revealed that senior living wages had increased by 30.9 percent, surpassing the private sector’s same-period wage increases (at 24.4 percent). The Ziegler article also cross-referenced a McKnight’s review of the Hospital and Healthcare Compensation Service’s report to illustrate that, while pay increases and bonuses continue to climb, the pace of the increases for Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), Registered Nurses (RNs), and Directors of Nursing (DONs) has slowed for nursing staff over the last two years.

The CCRC Salary and Benefits report referenced above attributes this to the fact that CNA salaries have stabilized since 2022.

Alternative examples of workforce recruitment and retention practices that continue were highlighted, including Minnesota’s $1,000 bonus program for nurses, California’s digital ad campaigns geared toward Gen Z workers, ‘earn and learn’ and other programs, and Presbyterian Homes and Services’ workforce housing program from 2023. Nonetheless, Ziegler’s report pointed out that the Labor Bureau’s statistics on CCRC employees still show workforce numbers below pre-pandemic levels, albeit steady upward progress made since a low point in January 2022. Turnover rates also remain high, topping out at 50 percent for CNAs in certain regions, 18 percent for C-suite executives (despite a 6.3 percent wage increase for these executives in the past year), and a 13.6 percent vacancy rate at the executive level.

The article concluded that wage, benefit, and recruitment programs do not appear to have ‘fully solved’ CCRCs’ workforce issues, and that stress, burnout, and mental and physical health issues need to be addressed.

Contact: Annalyse Komoroske Denio, akomoroskedenio@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8866