How Hard Is It to Fill Personal Service Positions?

All over the country, people are beginning to see one of the most significant trends in the job market: the rise in the need for home care and personal service positions. Many people have been able to find the appropriate amount of people to fill these jobs in the past.

However, the most recent pandemic has caused a significant uproar, the number of people they need and the number of applications they lack. More so than ever before, people see the gaps for this industry and why this is an issue for the future.

One of the more recent studies by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that estimates call for at least 2.3 million new hires needed just alone within the healthcare industry. Some of the most critical jobs are home health aides and personal care aides, two crucial positions within the private service industry.

Here are just some of the many reasons it’s hard to fill personal service positions today and

what can be done about it.

Lack of Education and Experience

Even though new hires are needed, many applicants do not have the right amount of experience or education to fill this position. Not having the proper expertise in education puts them in a difficult position because they cannot fill these roles, even if they need people in these positions.

This is a significant problem and likely one that has grown only because of the pandemic. One way around this would be to provide the training and education necessary through the job, but this is not always the case for these individuals.

Current Pandemic

Additionally, there’s also been a significant change in the employment for personal services due to the coronavirus pandemic. Many people have begun to see the incessant need for homecare careers because many people do not see it before.

Caregivers considered leaving their jobs in 2020 because of the pandemic, with only one-fifth of the current population of caregivers seeing themselves continuing through with their careers. This is significant and shows that needs within the home care and personal services industry are growing.

How Do We Fix This?

With more and more of a concern for this industry, it is essential to try and find a way to solve this because many baby boomers and upcoming elderly generations need this assistance. Government statistics state a need for at least 1,000,000 more workers by 2026, which would be a 50% increase from 2014.

Additionally, those over the age of 85 are expected to double the population count. There is a strong need for personal service positions, and people need to fill these as soon as possible. The best way to fix this is to address the concerns in the gaps and provide ways for people to bridge this gap.

Whether it’s providing those within this job field an opportunity to create more career training or even the proper education before applying, this will exponentially help solve this problem and create more stability within this industry.