What the Data Says
Verified facts
- Kansas projects healthcare-support occupations to add 8,717 jobs from 2022 to 2032, growth of 13.3%.
- Home health and personal care aides account for a projected increase of 5,856 jobs.
- Nursing assistants are projected to add 1,347 jobs over the same period.
Projected growth is only one part of demand. Healthcare employers also face replacement hiring, schedule complexity, supervisory capacity, burnout, credential progression, and transportation or child-care barriers that can affect whether people enter and stay.
Why It Matters
Different partners see different effects.
Retention and career architecture should be treated as capacity investments, not separate HR projects.
Healthcare staffing affects both economic participation and residents' access to care.
Entry programs should connect visibly to credentials, wage progression, advanced roles, and employer-supported experience.
Practical Response
What leaders should do next.
- Separate growth openings from replacement and turnover demand.
- Map entry roles to the next credential, wage step, and responsibility level.
- Test schedule, transportation, child care, and supervisor constraints with workers and employers.
Next Meeting
Questions worth resolving.
- How much demand comes from growth versus replacement and turnover?
- Where do workers stall between an entry role and the next credential?
- Which community barriers prevent people from entering or staying in care roles?
Official Sources
Read the underlying material.
Facts above are drawn from the linked sources. Main Street's interpretation and recommended questions are its own analysis.