ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - A new report shows that Missouri's hospital workforce is still facing high turnover rates compared to rates during the pandemic.
The Missouri Hospital Association released a study showing that turnover in the state's hospital workforce are still significantly higher compared to the rates during the pandemic.
"We're looking at overall turnover state-wide vacancies," said Jill Williams, VP Of Workforce Development for the Missouri Hospital Association, "We see turnover rates in 2022 were 23.1% turnover and there were 14.8% vacancies."
Particularly, Hospitals in Southeast and South Central Missouri seem to be the ones that are struggling the most.
Williams says the Association found that despite Missouri having around 33,000 nurses statewide, there still around 7,000 vacancies across the state.
She believes that the high turnover and vacancies rates are due to a variety of reasons -- such as an aging workforce nearing retirement and unemployment rates are at an all time low.
"The demand for healthcare is growing, we've got workers who are burnt out, being exhausted from COVID-19," said Williams.
Williams also highlights that workers are starting to look for remote, digital or flexible work as a reason for the vacancies and hospitals are also up against they're also up against the traveling nurses demand, and salaries.
"We're seeing our hospital bump up wages, offering sign-on or retention bonuses, maybe paying more overtime hours," said Williams, "But those wages have not kept pace due to inflation, increased cost of living. It's not hitting staff's pocket books."