About us
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.
Contact
Our Director
Latest technical briefs
Our Team
All->Our work
News
External publications
Prioritising the health and care workforce shortage: protect, invest, together
There can be no health, health systems, or emergency response without the health and care workforce. This simple truth is evident, especially during the...
The global health workforce stock and distribution in 2020 and 2030: a threat to equity and ‘universal’...
This study, published in BMJ Global Health, extracted the latest data reported by countries through the National Health Workforce Accounts to estimate...
Health worker education during the COVID-19 pandemic: global disruption, responses and lessons for the...
This systematic review and meta-analysis identified early evidence quantifying the disruption to the education of health workers by the COVID-19 pandemic,...
Monitoring and evaluation of human resources for health: an international perspective
Despite the undoubted importance of human resources to the functions of health systems, there is little consistency between countries in how human resource...
The global inequity in COVID-19 vaccination coverage among health and care workers
Health and care workers (HCWs) are at the forefront of COVID-19 response, at high risk of infection, and as a result they are a priority group for COVID-19...
Disability inclusion in Medical Education: Towards a quality improvement approach
An estimated 1 billion people experience disability worldwide. The paper by Singh and Meeks rightly challenges readers to reflect on how and why there...
Human resources for health: overcoming the crisis
This progress report on health workforce education was developed by the Joint Learning Initiative to highlight the progress on the strategies and activities...
Reviewing Progress and Renewing Commitment to Health Workforce Development: the 2nd Global Forum on Human...
This paper presents the background and achievements of the 2nd Global Forum on Human Resources for Health in addressing health workforce challenges. Starting...
Commitment and action to boost health workforce
The pivotal role of health workers in enabling countries to scale up access to health services and progress to achieve the health Millennium Development...
The Third Global Forum: framing the health workforce agenda for universal health coverage
Despite encouraging progress towards the health targets of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)—including improved child mortality and coverage of antiretroviral...
Health Workforce Brain Drain: From Denouncing the Challenge to Solving the Problem
Migration of health workers from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to high-income countries is one of the most controversial aspects of globalization,...
Quality of care provided by mid-level health workers: systematic review and meta-analysis
To assess the effectiveness of care provided by mid-level health workers, experimental and observational studies comparing mid-level health workers and...
Events
Call for consultation
Normative publications
Working for Health 2022-2030 Action Plan: planning and financing
This thematic brief accompanies the Working for Health 2022–2030 Action Plan, providing a rationale for the related actions of the Working...
Strengthening the collection, analysis and use of health workforce data and information: a handbook
Access to health workers who are fit for purpose, motivated and protected is a fundamental force of health service delivery and the achievement of universal...
Family planning and comprehensive abortion care toolkit for the primary health care workforce: volume...
Family planning and comprehensive abortion care (FP and CAC) is part of primary health care, but it remains inaccessible to many. Qualified health...
Family planning and comprehensive abortion care toolkit for the primary health care workforce: volume...
This document presents a systematic approach to developing programmes and curricula for implementation of the family planning (FP) and comprehensive...
Additional publications
Brain drain to brain gain: migration of nursing and midwifery workforce in the state of Kerala, India
The International Platform on Health Worker Mobility
Brain drain to brain gain: Ireland’s two-way flow of doctors
A dynamic understanding of health worker migration
Global Health Workforce Network – Q&A
WHO Progress Report on Health Workforce Education
Health topics
Related teams