Healthcare Professions Under Pressure: What Health Indicators Mean for Employers

1. The Occupational Health Index (BeGX) as a Data-Based Overview of Health in Nursing Professions

The current Occupational Health Index for Geriatric and Hospital Care 2025 (BeGX) provides a comprehensive, data-based analysis of the health situation of employees in elderly and hospital care in Germany. The aim of the index is to systematically evaluate key health indicators and make developments visible over several years.

For healthcare employers, these figures are far more than statistics. They function as an early warning system. They show where workloads exceed safe limits, where work ability is declining, and where structural risks for facilities are emerging.

Key message for employers:
The health of your employees determines the long-term viability of your organization.

A stable staffing situation, high quality of care, and a strong employer brand are directly linked to the physical and mental resilience of your workforce. The BeGX 2025 makes it clear: current health indicators show an urgent need for action. Healthcare Institutions that want to remain competitive in the long term must approach occupational health strategically – not as a side project, but as an integral part of leadership and management.

For facilities already working with CWC or considering a partnership, these insights are especially relevant. They highlight that workforce planning and international recruitment are not isolated measures, but part of a broader strategy to stabilize working conditions.

 

2. Current Health Indicators in Healthcare Professions: Key Insights for Employers

2.1 High Absence Rates and Reduced Work Ability

The BeGX 2025 data paints a clear picture: absence rates in elderly and hospital care are significantly higher than in other professions. In 2023, five times more sick leave cases were recorded in elderly care compared to the average across other occupations. In hospital care, the figures were even higher.

This trend is not a short-term fluctuation. It reflects structural overload. High physical demands, psychological stress, shift work, and staff shortages accumulate over time. The result is long-term health risks, increasing absence rates, and reduced work ability among many employees.

For employers, this means:

• Unplanned absences significantly increase scheduling pressure
• Shift plans must be adjusted at short notice
• Overtime costs rise
• The remaining staff face even greater workloads – creating a self-reinforcing cycle

There is also a higher likelihood of reduced working hours or early career exit. Every loss of experienced nursing professionals further intensifies the already strained staffing situation.

For organizations, this makes one thing clear: absence rates are not just a health indicator, they are also a business risk factor.

2.2 Working Conditions as a Risk Factor for Employee Retention

The BeGX 2025 also shows that structural working conditions play a central role in employee satisfaction and retention.

Overtime remains widespread. Employer-determined shift changes and short-notice schedule adjustments are part of everyday life in many facilities. A large proportion of employees rate their work-life balance as inadequate.

A significant number of nursing professionals regularly consider changing careers. This willingness to leave is not driven solely by income. It is strongly linked to perceived overload and lack of predictability.

Impact for employers:

• Higher turnover
• Loss of experienced professionals
• Ongoing costs for onboarding and recruitment
• Loss of knowledge within teams

In a labor market marked by persistent skilled worker shortages, employee retention becomes a strategic success factor. Organizations that offer stable working conditions not only reduce resignations, but also increase their attractiveness for new candidates – nationally and internationally.

2.3 Income Is Rising, Satisfaction Is Not Automatically Following

In parts of the healthcare sector, income satisfaction has improved in recent years. Collective bargaining agreements and political measures have led to noticeable financial improvements.

At the same time, the BeGX 2025 shows that overall job satisfaction remains low or is even declining.

The data highlights a clear reality:
Compensation alone is not enough if working conditions do not fundamentally improve.

Beyond fair pay, nursing professionals primarily want:

• Reliable shift schedules
• Predictable time off
• Appreciative leadership
• Adequate staffing levels

For employers, this means salary is important, but not sufficient. Sustainable satisfaction only emerges through structural relief and stable staffing levels.

 

3. Consequences of Low Health Indicators and Their Direct Impact on Facilities

3.1 Staffing Gaps and Operational Instability

Despite growing demand for healthcare services, many facilities continue to experience long vacancy periods.

Fewer employees are caring for more patients or residents. The result:

• Increased workload
• More overtime
• Growing dependence on temporary staff or short-term emergency solutions

This situation leads to operational instability. Shift planning becomes constant crisis management. Leaders spend most of their time compensating for absences instead of focusing on strategic development.

Without structural countermeasures, a vicious cycle develops: overload leads to illness, illness leads to staff shortages, and staff shortages lead to further overload.

3.2 Quality of Care and Employer Reputation

Employee exhaustion directly affects quality of care. Patient safety, continuity, and relationship-based care suffer when teams face frequent staff changes and time pressure.

At the same time, public and media attention on working conditions in healthcare is increasing. Candidates actively research employer reviews and testimonials.

Employer reputation is becoming a decisive factor in successful recruitment. Facilities perceived as overloaded and unstable face greater challenges in attracting qualified professionals.

Conversely, good working conditions are a visible competitive advantage.

3.3 Economic Pressure on Healthcare Organizations

Low health indicators create not only staffing risks, but also economic risks.

Rising personnel costs combined with declining productivity place significant pressure on budgets. Illness-related absences generate additional expenses, as do turnover and onboarding processes.

In the long term, structural risks such as ward closures or reduced service offerings may follow.

For employers, the conclusion is clear: investments in occupational health are not additional expenses, they are measures for risk reduction and future security.

 

4. Employer Responsibility: From Short-Term Staffing to Long-Term Occupational Health

The BeGX 2025 clearly shows that occupational health must be understood as a strategic leadership responsibility.

Short-term staffing solutions are not enough. The focus must shift to long-term stabilization.

Key areas of action for employers include:

• Reliable scheduling and fair workload distribution
• Appreciative leadership and transparent communication
• Inclusive corporate culture for international and national employees
• Strategic workforce planning with sufficient staffing reserves

Sustainable promotion of occupational health can be achieved especially through long-term, strategic workforce planning. This includes the targeted integration of international professionals as a structural complement to existing teams, not as a short-term emergency solution.

Facilities that proactively build additional staffing capacity reduce overload, stabilize schedules, and measurably improve their health indicators.

 

5. Occupational Health as a Competitive Advantage

The data is clear: healthcare professions are under constant pressure. The BeGX 2025 makes transparent how closely absence rates, workload, and turnover intentions are interconnected.

Employers who act proactively can systematically improve the health indicators of their workforce by:

• Stabilizing operational processes
• Strengthening quality of care
• Promoting long-term employee retention

International recruitment is not a short-term fix, but a strategic investment in the long-term viability of healthcare organizations.

Key message for employers:
Those who invest in people today secure care provision for tomorrow.

You can request a checklist for strategic workforce planning that supports the development of a healthy work environment at any time through our Resource Center (under “Strategic Staff Planning in Healthcare”).

Source: Study BeGX – Berufsgesundheits-Index Alten- und Krankenpflege 2025