U.S. companies across industries — from Uber to Intel — are slashing middle management roles, and the cuts could backfire, The Wall Street Journal reported Sept. 16.
Businesses nationwide are projected to face a shortage of 2.9 million managers by 2032, far outpacing the 611,000 projected shortage of nurses, according to data from The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce cited in the report.
“Just give it a few years. We’re underestimating the often-invisible work of people who enable higher-ranking leaders to delegate and get the most out of frontline employees,” the Journal reported. “So, I’m calling it now: When we realize what’s been lost, middle manager will be the hottest job out there. And filling the void won’t be easy.”
Healthcare is no exception. Managers have also faced cuts at hospitals and health systems. While the exact ranks are not confirmed, hospital leaders have been included in at least six workforce reductions in 2026. Marietta, Ga.-based Wellstar Health System, for example, cut 761 roles in July, restructuring its leadership team to reduce administrative layers, the system said. For context, Becker’s covered at least eight hospital layoffs involving leaders throughout all of 2025.
Not every system is cutting, though. Some are taking a closer look at backfilling middle management roles, weighing whether a leader’s expanded span of control could double as a growth opportunity when another manager leaves.
And a number of health systems are leaning into middle management development rather than trimming it. St. Cloud, Minn.-based CentraCare CEO Ken Holmen told Becker’s in November the “meaningful work isn’t done by us,” but by the frontline staff and managers who interact with patients daily, and the system runs educational and team-building programs aimed at strengthening those managers’ capabilities.
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