1. Retention and Recruitment in the Hospital sector A Framework of Actions Concluded by EPSU and HOSPEEM here: the challenge of better work / life balance

2. Background: Staff working paper: Action Plan for the EU health work force, April 2012 17,1 million jobs in the health care sector = 8 % of all EU jobs Increasing turnover in the health professions, because of also non-financial factors, such as long working hours, stress and difficult work-life balance. Increasing attrition of younger health workers, e.g. in The Netherlands in the nursing professions where about one third no longer works in the sector after three to five years after their graduation. (Dutch EPSU affiliates end of 2011) In the next decade 40 percent of those working in the health sector will no longer be working there (retirement, attrition), about half of the workforce currently employed => immense need of recruitment and retention efforts.

3.  The employment trend observed so far in the healthcare and social sector will continue. More than 1 million new jobs are expected to be created between 2010-2020. The growth rate in this sector is projected to be 5%, which is higher than EU average slightly above 3%. There will be about 7 million additional job openings between 2010-2020 due to replacement needs. Together with net employment change around 8 million of total job openings are projected. Most jobs will require highly qualified people (more than 5 million) while the need for medium qualified personnel will remain rather significant (around 3 million). Around 200 000 job openings will be for low qualified people.[Source: AP EU Health Workforce, 18.04.2012, p. 4]  Participation of women is still increasing; Currently 80% of the workers in the health and social care sector across the EU 27 are women. The only two other sectors with a higher or equal are NACE 97 “Activities of households as employers of domestic personnel” with 89% and NACE 14 “Manufacture of wearing apparel” with 83%, average = 47%!

4. Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE): the number of female doctors has risen by 37 % in the UK. But there was a real threat that women may be unable to continue in their chosen career once they had young children. “This growing feminization of the health workforce has not been properly reflected in measures to improve the reconciliation of professional and private life. It is a factor which might increase the difficulties to retain the healthcare workforce in the future.” Deloitte study says:” it is not surprising that the results of the vast majority of studies show that family life and/or work-life balance are clearly negatively affected by increasing the number of working hours per year, especially beyond 40 hours per week.”

5. EPSU – HOSPEEM Framework of Action: The majority of health care staff are women, a significant number of whom also currently have caring responsibilities. In order to facilitate the full participation of men and women in the health care labour market, health care employers and social partners should take measures and develop policies which will improve the work-life balance of workers. Better work-life balance will lead to improved quality of work and job motivation. HOSPEEM and EPSU acknowledge the benefits that can be gained from staff having planned and agreed hours of work and rest periods.