FRESH TAKES ON BIG IDEAS

The World Health Organization estimates a global shortage of at least ten million healthcare workers by 2030, and some organizations project an even larger shortfall. The scale of those affected is huge and growing. Today, 60 percent of the global population—about 4.5 billion people—lack access to essential health services such as safe pregnancy practices and immunization.

The healthcare workforce shortage is not distributed evenly across the globe. For example, Africa has 17 percent of the world’s population but accounts for 52 percent of the global shortage. Even within countries where overall healthcare worker numbers are higher, there are often major distribution inequities (for instance, in rural areas of the United States), and many people still struggle to get care when they need it.

The workforce shortage is driven by both the demand side and the supply side. On the demand side, the aging population is a major factor. As more people live longer, age-related diseases increase, creating greater demand for healthcare services. On the supply side, there are a few major issues. The first is an insufficient training pipeline. Many people who might wish to pursue a career in healthcare find that getting the requisite education is an arduous, expensive, time-consuming, and often inaccessible path. A second factor is economic constraints: In some countries, economic conditions limit the ability to finance health systems, build infrastructure, and provide living wages for workers. The third factor is burnout, which can result from poor working conditions and unmanageable workloads.

So how do we address these challenges? On the supply side, rethinking healthcare training—in terms of structure, timing, and scale—is critical. Current training models, many of which haven’t changed in decades, may no longer meet today’s needs. We should ask: Could we create accelerated programs for certain roles while maintaining quality? Are we ready to rethink some of the basic assumptions that went into creating training programs? And, if so, what is our timeline for starting new classes of healthcare workers in these accelerated programs?

Retention is equally important. To combat burnout, we need to ensure that healthcare workers are supported and fulfilled in their roles. We should make sure that tasks are matched to the right people at the right time in the right place. AI-powered tools could help mitigate some of the more mundane or time-consuming tasks, such as documenting care provided in real time without any “hands on keyboards” or translating notes into orders. Our research found that addressing some of the root causes of attrition could help retain nearly two million healthcare workers globally.

“Addressing some of the root causes of attrition could help retain nearly two million healthcare workers globally.”

Another shift involves recognizing that addressing the healthcare worker shortage requires more than simply increasing the supply of healthcare workers. We also need innovation regarding the who, how, and where of healthcare delivery.

For example, can we empower patients to take greater ownership of their own health journeys? Can we give people the healthcare literacy and tools they need to make it easier for them to engage with the healthcare system? We know it is possible for patients to work collaboratively toward a health outcome. We have seen it, for example, with the use of IVF and GLP-1s. Patients have successfully learned how to properly store and sometimes refrigerate medicines, mix different formulations, adjust their dosages over time across multiple medications, and self-administer sterile injections. They engage with their providers, attend regular appointments, and often have good outcomes.

While not yet at scale, there are technical tools under development that can help patients with diagnoses and timely treatments without, as would have been necessary in the past, scheduling an in-office appointment with the provider. For example, there are emerging technologies that allow parents to use their phones to share images of their child’s ears and throat with a provider to diagnose conditions such as strep throat or ear infections. In remote or rural areas, approaches like this—coupled with reliable internet access—can lead to an earlier diagnosis, reduce the time a parent needs to transport a child long distances (improving workplace productivity), allow a child to get well and go back to school faster (improving their ability to learn), and reducing the risk of long-term complications from untreated conditions (lowering overall healthcare costs).

The healthcare worker shortage isn’t a distant threat—it’s a present and growing crisis. Yet in boardrooms and policy circles, it rarely commands the urgency of a supply chain disruption or a market downturn. It should.

This is a silent emergency undermining our health, our workforce productivity, and our economic resilience. What’s needed now isn’t incrementalism—it’s bold, targeted investment and system-level redesign. Every innovation that overlooks the frontline healthcare workforce is a missed opportunity and a strategic failure. Every unfilled role compounds the risk. If health underpins every aspect of economic and human capital, then the real question is: How decisively will each region act to build the healthcare workforce it needs—not someday, but now?

—Edited by Vanessa Burke, associate editor, Atlanta

ABOUT THIS AUTHOR

Pooja Kumar is a senior partner in McKinsey’s Philadelphia office and a global leader of the McKinsey Health Institute.