Author: GlobalRAWS Research Team
Date: August 4, 2026
The U.S. home care workforce is entering a long-term growth period. More older adults and people with disabilities want to receive support in their homes instead of institutional settings. This is increasing demand for home health aides, personal care aides, companion workers, and daily-living support staff.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of home health and personal care aides to grow significantly by 2034. The occupation is expected to add massive new jobs during that period.
Key workforce facts
| 17% projected employment growth 739,800 projected new jobs 765,800 projected openings each year |
Why home care demand is growing
Population aging is one of the main reasons for this growth. Many older adults need support with personal care, mobility, meals, housekeeping, transportation, and other daily activities. More healthcare and long-term support services are also being delivered through home and community-based programs. These services allow eligible individuals to receive assistance at home rather than moving into institutional facilities.
Home care workers commonly assist with:
- Bathing, dressing, and personal hygiene
- Meal preparation and light housekeeping
- Mobility and transportation support
- Companionship and daily activities
- Reporting changes in a client’s condition
Employers must plan before shortages appear
Home care agencies need more than a large number of applicants. They need dependable workers whose experience, location, schedule, language, and availability match each client’s needs.
The main staffing challenge
A successful placement must match the worker with the correct client, duties, schedule, location, and care environment. Late hiring can cause missed shifts, service interruptions, employee burnout, poor caregiver-client matching, and client dissatisfaction. Agencies should allow enough time for screening, background checks, interviews, onboarding, and assignment preparation.
Building a dependable workforce pipeline
Strong agencies treat recruitment as an ongoing process rather than an emergency response. Workforce planning should include:
- Regular candidate sourcing
- Background and credential screening
- Availability and location matching
- Clear job and client information
- Structured onboarding
- Backup staffing arrangements
- Retention and employee support
Agencies should also maintain a list of screened candidates for future clients, weekend assignments, replacement coverage, and business growth. Demand for home health and personal care aides is expected to remain strong through 2034. Employers that begin recruitment early will be better prepared to maintain coverage, reduce staffing pressure, and provide consistent services. GlobalRAWS supports employers through candidate sourcing, screening, referral, interview coordination, and placement-related communication based on verified workforce requirements.
Sources
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Home Health and Personal Care Aides
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/home-health-aides-and-personal-care-aides.htm
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Employment Projections, 2024–2034
https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2026/article/industry-and-occupational-employment-projections-overview.htm
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — Home and Community-Based Services
https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/home-community-based-services/
