A staggering new global survey of care workers reveals a deepening staffing crisis in the health and care sectors, with nearly 70% of workers frequently understaffed and over a third (36.4%) saying they are always working short-handed. Released on the fifth anniversary of the W.H.O.’s COVID-19 pandemic declaration, the UNI Global Union report—based on responses from 11,233 workers across 63 countries—exposes a care system still in freefall. Despite being hailed as heroes, care workers face chronic understaffing, poverty wages, and surging workplace violence, driving many out of the profession and leaving patients at risk. Workers without union protections are affected by this trend even more intensely. The same failures that cost tens of thousands of lives during the pandemic remain dangerously ignored.

UNI warns that these conditions are driving workers away from the sector, exacerbating a crisis that governments and employers have failed to address. The survey shows that union membership and collective bargaining significantly improve worker retention and satisfaction.

Safe staffing levels are essential for high-quality care and safer work environments, but chronic shortages in hospitals and care homes undermine patient health – even causing preventable deaths. For care workers, understaffing leads to poor morale, increased workplace violence and injury rates, and high turnover.

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