The COVID-19 pandemic intensified longstanding health workforce shortages, with hospitals, nursing facilities, and rural providers struggling to retain staff even after COVID-19 hospitalizations declined. Historically, healthcare employment has shown a countercyclical relationship with the broader economy, expanding during downturns such as the Great Recession. These dynamics, influenced by gender, race, and macroeconomic conditions, suggest that worker movement in and out of healthcare extends beyond pandemic-specific factors.

This article examines how national unemployment rates relate to healthcare worker “leaver” trends from 2003–2022, focusing on how macroeconomic conditions shape healthcare workforce supply over time.