Health Care Workforce: A System Under Pressure, Poised for Reinvention
December 8, 2025
Hospitals and health systems head into 2026 facing familiar but intensifying headwinds. High labor costs, inflation, supply chain volatility and financial pressures continue to squeeze operating budgets. At the same time, demand for care is rising as the U.S. population ages and patient needs grow more complex.
Layer onto that an exhausted workforce still carrying the weight of years of strain. Burnout, vacancies and administrative burden remain top concerns for health care leaders across the country.
Yet the AHA’s newly released “2026 Health Care Workforce Scan” offers more than a snapshot of persistent challenges. It presents a field in motion — one actively redesigning care, restructuring teams and rethinking how to build a sustainable workforce for the future.
