The Great Resignation has had some companies scrambling for workers by improving benefits and dangling enticing incentives to return. However, weakened unions and poor working conditions in some industries suggest that bosses still hold the power, The New York Times reported Nov. 3. 

The pandemic took the lives of more than 740,000 Americans, and each death affects on average nine other people, touching 6.6 million people, according to one study. The American workplace is incompatible with this vast grief, Chad Broughton, PhD, a public policy professor at the University of Chicago, argued in The Atlantic on Nov. 2. 

Montana is offering to cover relocation costs for eligible healthcare providers to recruit them to serve in the state, Gov. Greg Gianforte announced Nov. 2.

Staffing strains have affected hospitals and health systems across the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are seven data points showing workforce shortages and how they affect hospitals, as cited in an American Hospital Association data brief shared with Becker's Nov. 2:

During the pandemic, the number of states requiring COVID-19 vaccination for healthcare workers has grown, and some deadlines have passed.

Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Sanford Health's COVID-19 vaccination mandate for employees is working in terms of boosting the compliance rate and also resulted in a decline in coronavirus infections and sick leave among staff, according to a statement from Jeremy Cauwels, MD, chief physician at the organization.

The California Labor Laboratory has opened to study the health of California's workforce and advance worker well-being with a focus on gig workers, about whom little is known. 

As hospitals and health systems grapple with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, many are offering incentives to attract and retain workers. 

Navigating retirement can be a confusing experience. Having fewer obligations, building a new routine, reprioritizing time commitments and managing finances can all prove difficult to balance for retirees. In an Oct. 23 article from The Wall Street Journal, readers shared some of the surprises they faced when entering retirement.

Amid a critical shortage of qualified candidates, Lifespan raised the base wage for nursing and medical assistants, behavioral health specialists and residential care counselors in an effort to retain workers in those high-demand positions, the Providence, R.I.-based health system said Oct. 29.

Mississippi is slated to soon lose about 900 state-funded nurses serving at hospitals, which could exacerbate the staffing crunch some organizations are experiencing, according to Mississippi Today.

A federal vaccination mandate currently under review for private companies could allow employers to make workers who refuse to get the shot pay for required COVID-19 testing and masks, two sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.

MultiCare Health System is offering a 2.5 percent wage increase for all non-union employees, including those who are salaried and paid hourly, part of a $53.5 million investment to reward and retain employees amid historic patient volumes and workforce shortages, the Tacoma, Wash.-based organization said Oct. 28.

While employers risk losing some employees if they require COVID-19 vaccination with a test-out option, many workers would comply one way or another, according to Kaiser Family Foundation's latest COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor survey published Oct. 28.

Upper Allegheny Health System, a two-hospital system based in Olean, N.Y., is making an appeal for staffing help at Olean General Hospital and Bradford (Pa.) Regional Medical Center.

The number of people applying for unemployment benefits last week declined to the lowest level since the pandemic began in March 2020, The Wall Street Journal reported Oct. 28.

A new study has found that 82 percent of employees believe artificial intelligence can support their careers better than humans, CNBC reported Oct. 26.

University Hospital in Newark, N.J., implemented a COVID-19 vaccine booster mandate for employees who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot.

Healthcare organizations that instill the values of diversity and equity within their culture are less likely to lose workers, according to an Oct. 27 analysis from Press Ganey.

Maine is pursuing tuition support programs that will provide financial support to allow more people to become medical professionals, part of initiatives to strengthen the state's healthcare workforce, Gov. Janet Mills announced Oct. 25.