2026 Healthcare Retention Report Supplement

Stability, Strain, and Retention Risk in Healthcare

Healthcare turnover has slowed from pandemic-era highs, but underlying retention pressures remain firmly in place.

Drawing on 8,347 healthcare exit interviews conducted in 2025, this Healthcare Supplement to the 2026 Retention Report examines where retention risk is building, how turnover evolves across early tenure, and why workforce stability may be masking deeper disengagement.

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TEAMS Retention Report Executive Briefing Webcast

Healthcare Retention Report Supplement Key Findings

Healthcare retention in 2026 looks stable on the surface. Workforce churn no longer dominates headlines. Yet for healthcare organizations, lived experience tells a different story. Work Institute data show that while healthcare employees leave at a slower pace, the underlying drivers of retention risk remain firmly in place. Employees are staying longer, but not necessarily because conditions have improved.

Shift and Scheduling Strain is a Retention Risk

Work-Life Balance related turnover was driven by shift/schedule strain and appears more frequently in healthcare organizations.

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Retention Risk Evolves Across Early Tenure

Nearly two-thirds of healthcare turnover occurs within the first three years of employment and 22% between 90 days and 1 year.

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Career Dissatisfaction Reflects Sustainability

In healthcare organizations, career dissatisfaction reflects longevity concerns rather than rapid advancement.

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The State of Healthcare Retention: Stability, Strain, and What's Next

We're Hosting a Live Webcast June 16th

Join Work Institute and Raesoleil Consulting for a live discussion exploring the finding from the Healthcare Report. This webcast will examine:

Emerging healthcare turnover patterns
Early tenure retention risk
Workforce pressure points
Scheduling and sustainability challenges
Strategic priorities for healthcare leaders

About the Data

This supplement draws from Work Institute's Exit Interview dataset, one of the most comprehensive and behaviorally rich sources of employee turnover insight in the United States. This analysis includes:

8,347 healthcare exit interviews
60+ healthcare organizations
clinical and non-clinical roles
post-employment third-party interviews conducted in 2025

Traditional turnover metrics show what happened. Work Institute's approach examines why it happened.

View all Retention Reports