10 Facts About the Home Care Hiring Process

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Updated November 19, 2021

The home care hiring process isn’t easy. The industry is booming, and job seekers have keyed in on the fact that this career has a low barrier to entry. These ten facts about the home care hiring process might surprise you – and they’ll definitely inform the way you advertise your next job opening.

In 2020, the median annual salary for a home health aide or personal care aide was $27,080.

Nationally, home care aides make roughly $12 an hour. The Occupational Outlook Handbook reports that this career requires only a high school diploma or GED and short-term on-the-job training. In short, home care agencies can expect to be deluged with applicants who are eager for these positions.

This field is expected to grow by 41% by 2026.

This is one of the fastest growing jobs out there. The average growth rate for all occupations is just 7%. As baby boomers age, they’re going to need in-home care to improve their quality of life.

Personal care aides have one of the highest rates of injury and illness.

Home care aides are subject to a variety of dangerous working conditions as they work with the elderly and infirm in their clients’ homes. Over 80% of home care aides reported that they were expected to clean the bathroom or kitchen, typically with bleach, ammonia, or other strong chemicals that could cause injury. Over one third of care aides reported back pain in the past year, and 11.2% had suffered from some kind of work-related injury. Many others complained of bites, hits, slaps, punches, and verbal abuse. How does this affect the home care hiring process? Hiring managers and agencies should make sure that applicants are aware of the potential for issues of this nature.

Despite this, most personal care aides love their careers.

The same study asked home health aides how they felt about their jobs. Almost 90% said they would recommend the job to a friend; that number was slightly higher for agency-hired aides (88.6%) than client-hired aides (86.5%). Care aides cited the flexible work schedule, predictable hours, and ability to work independently as reasons they continue to work in this field.

There are almost a half million home health agencies in the United States.

The Centers for Disease Control reported that there were at over 400,00 home care agencies and related businesses in 2020. That number has likely only grown in the ensuing years. Job seekers have several employers to choose from. Companies need to stand out during the home care hiring process by offering potential employees the benefits that are most important to them.

Home care aides want health insurance and consistent patient assignments.

When care aides were questioned about whether or not they intended to leave the job, employer-provided health insurance played a big role. Care aides want to develop long-term relationships with patients, and they want regular hours they can count on. Surprisingly, wage had little effect on whether or not a care aide left his or her role.

The role of home care aides is changing.

As the population ages, the job of the home care aide may become more challenging. Home care aides will be spending a lot of time with their clients, and can exert significant influence over their daily habits. That’s why the home care hiring process is so difficult. You need to find high-quality candidates who are easy to train and up for the challenge.

The number of people expected to need home care aides is projected to double by 2040.

In 2015, just under 14 million American senior citizens reported that they were struggling to live independently. Experts predict that that number will double over the next 25 years. There may be a shortfall of 350,000 direct care workers by that time.

Demand for home care aides is greater than supply.

Long-term care accounted for 21.4% of Medicaid spending in 2016. Despite the size of this budget, almost half a million people are on wait lists for home- and community-based care. Home health agencies will need to fast-track the home care hiring process to fulfill this demand.

Fully 94% of recruiters and talent managers using recruiting or applicant tracking software say it has improved their process.

This Capterra study finds that applicant tracking software like ApplicantStack is beneficial in every industry. Applicant tracking software can make the home care hiring process efficient and easy. Want to learn more? Start your free trial today, and see how ApplicantStack can help you prepare for the influx of home care aide resumes that is sure to come.

 

 

 

 

Simplify HR management today.

Simplify HR management today.

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