Nursing Workforce Forecast
DWD Releases Nursing Workforce Forecast Through 2050
The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) has released the 2024-2050 Registered Nurse Workforce Projections Report, the latest supply and demand forecast for Registered Nurses (RNs) in the state. The report, published by DWD's Bureau of Workforce Information and Technical Support, offers insight into the challenges and opportunities facing the nursing workforce. Because RNs are the largest health care occupation, it also is a barometer for the broader outlook for the health care workforce in the state.
Since 2010, a comprehensive survey of RNs in Wisconsin has been administered every even-numbered year. Those results are used by DWD to produce supply and demand projections.
While the latest report incorporates new population projections from the Wisconsin Department of Administration into the projection model, the general outlook for the nursing workforce has remained consistent since the first iteration of the RN forecast – flat supply and growing demand for nurses. The report finds the shortage of nurses is projected to peak between 9,500 and 13,800 people, a 13% to 20% gap between supply and demand, in the 2040s if current trends continue.
The updated projections highlight the unique pressures facing the RN workforce. As nurses retire or leave the profession, there are not enough new nurses following behind to fill job openings. Meanwhile, demand for highly skilled, qualified health care professionals will rise and the state’s population ages. DWD, together with partners across the state, is identifying solutions to nursing workforce shortages including training more nursing educators, expanding the capacity of nursing schools to teach more students, and exploring alternative educational pathways to bring more people into the nursing workforce.
The 2024-2050 Registered Nurse Workforce Projections Report and other labor market information is available on DWD's WisConomy.com website.