NJBIA has expressed its support for a new legislative bill aimed at addressing workforce shortages in the healthcare sector. The legislation mandates the New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce Development (NJDOLWD) to identify and recruit unemployed individuals for roles in healthcare facilities, home healthcare, and hospice settings.
The bill, known as A-4809, is sponsored by Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald and Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli. It allocates $250,000 to fund training programs and resources for eligible candidates. The Assembly Labor Committee approved the bill with a 10-1 vote.
Althea D. Ford, NJBIA Vice President of Government Affairs, emphasized the importance of utilizing existing state infrastructure to address workforce gaps in her written testimony. "This legislation demonstrates one way that workforce development can truly be accomplished using our existing state infrastructure to address a very real workforce gap," she stated.
New Jersey faces significant challenges in healthcare staffing, with an anticipated shortage of 24,000 registered nurses according to the federal Health Resources and Services Administration. Additionally, there is a critical lack of certified nursing assistants (CNAs), affecting many nursing homes' ability to meet mandated staffing ratios.
A report from the New Jersey Task Force on Long-Term Care Quality and Safety highlighted the necessity for strategies to boost worker supply in long-term care facilities and related services. Ford noted that the legislation would leverage NJDOLWD's resources effectively by "connecting prospective workers to employment opportunities in an in-demand field."
"NJDOLWD is strategically positioned to interact with individuals seeking employment and direct them to training opportunities that can directly impact the critical workforce shortages we are experiencing in healthcare," Ford added.
