Canadian Health Care Workers Want Out: New Health Human Resources (HHR) Survey Reveals Alarming Retention Concerns
OTTAWA, Canada, April 24th, 2023 – HEAL, Organizations for Health Action, released a new health human resources survey today that revealed that 40% of healthcare providers who responded to the survey are considering leaving the field, citing mental health and well-being as well as working conditions and resource shortages as their main points of concern. The concerns shown in these results align with surveys conducted by other health organizations, for example, the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions(CFNU) 2022 National Survey.
Of the 5,000 Canadian healthcare providers across all provinces and territories who responded, 30% indicated they are considering leaving their profession for reasons other than retirement. The results reveal alarming retention concerns, with almost 80% stating the need for more workplace support and resources, better leadership, better compensation and benefits, and adequate staffing, to remain in their field.
“We launched this survey to understand why our healthcare system is in crisis and why more and more healthcare providers are leaving,” said Hélène Sabourin, Co-Chair of HEAL. “We now know what we need to do – we must act now to provide the necessary support and resources to retain our healthcare workforce and ensure that they can continue to provide the high-quality services that Canadians rely on.”
“The results of this survey highlight the urgent need for action to address the concerns of our healthcare providers,” concluded Fred Phelps, Co-Chair of HEAL. “Failure to do so will result in a significant loss of highly skilled and experienced professionals from the workforce, exacerbating the current health care crisis.”
