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Health systems can only function with health workers; improving health service coverage and realizing the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is dependent on their availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality.
WHO estimates a projected shortfall of 11.1 million health workers by 2030 (1), mostly in low- and lower-middle income countries. However, countries at all levels of socioeconomic development face, to varying degrees, difficulties in the education, employment, deployment, retention, and performance of their workforce.
The chronic under-investment in education and training of health workers in some countries and the mismatch between education and employment strategies in relation to health systems and population needs are contributing to continuous shortages. These are compounded by difficulties in deploying health workers to rural, remote and under-served areas. Moreover, the increasing international migration of health workers may exacerbate health workforce shortfalls, particularly in low- and lower-middle income countries.
In some countries, challenges in universal access to health workers may also result from the lack of fiscal space to absorb the supply of health workers. As a result, some countries face the paradox of health worker unemployment co-existing with major unmet health workforce needs.
The High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth found that investments in the health and social workforce can spur inclusive economic growth. The health workforce has also a vital role in building the resilience of communities and health systems and in emergency preparedness and response. Approximately 67% of the health workforce are women: investing in the health workforce is an opportunity to create decent employment opportunities, in particular for women and youth.
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External publications
The importance of strengthening the health workforce in Nigeria to improve health outcomes
Health workers are the critical pathway to attaining the health target in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 (health and well-being). An adequate, equitably...
Rethinking Human Resources for health - On the edge of the Post-Modern Era
The project of this book originated from the observation that for decades health workforce (HW) problems existed without raising much alarm at the level...
Health workforce supply, needs and financial feasibility in Lesotho: a labour market analysis
The Government of Lesotho has prioritised health investment that aims to improve the health and socioeconomic development of the country, including the...
Increasing access to health workers in rural and remote areas: what do stakeholders' value and find feasible...
The primary aim of this study is to assess stakeholders' views of the acceptability and feasibility of policy options and outcome indicators presented...
Inequal distribution of nursing personnel: a subnational analysis of the distribution of nurses across...
The purpose of this study/analysis was to describe the differences in nurse-to-population density in 58 countries from six regional areas and the relationship...
Proposing a re-conceptualisation of competency framework terminology for health: a scoping review
Competency frameworks are being taken up by a growing number of sectors and for a broad range of applications. However, the topic of competency frameworks...
The promise of competency-based education in the health professions for improving global health
Competency-based education (CBE) provides a useful alternative to time-based models for preparing health professionals and constructing educational programs....
Challenges and opportunities for educating health professionals after the COVID-19 pandemic
The education of health professionals substantially changed before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. A 2010 Lancet Commission examined the 100-year...
Health professionals for a new century: transforming education to strengthen health systems in an interdependent...
Transforming education to strengthen health systems in an interdependent world
Monitoring the implementation of the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of...
Objective To present the findings of the first round of monitoring of the global implementation of the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International...
The WHO global code of practice: early evidence of its relevance and effectiveness
Publication of this supplement was supported by the project “Brain Drain to Brain Gain - Supporting WHO Code of practice on International Recruitment of...
Understanding the WHO health workforce support and safeguards list 2023
Health workforce challenges hinder progress towards universal health coverage, improved health outcomes and health security. The global health workforce...
Events
Normative publications
Independent review of the Working for health programme and its multi-partner trust fund: 2017-2022
The Working for Health five-year action plan for health employment and inclusive economic growth (2017–2021) draws on the recommendations of the...
Application of the essential public health functions: an integrated and comprehensive approach to public...
Experience with public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic clearly demonstrates that weak public health capacities leave populations and health,...
Essential public health functions in Ireland
This report represents a focused review of the essential public health functions (EPHFs) in Ireland with respect to policy and planning, infrastructure,...
Family planning and comprehensive abortion care toolkit for the primary health care workforce: volume...
This document is the third volume of the Toolkit on family planning and comprehensive abortion care for the primary health care workforce. The toolkit...
Additional publications
Global health workforce responses to address the COVID-19 pandemic
What can intersectoral governance do to strengthen the health and care workforce?
What steps can improve and promote investment in the health and care workforce?
Health and Care Workers: Protect.Invest.Together.
Our duty of care: A global call to action to protect the mental health of health and care workers
Corrigendum: The Gender pay gap in the health and care sector
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