Press Release   -

Healthcare Staffing Market Poised for Record Growth Amid Rising Demand for Skilled Professionals and Digital Recruitment Platforms

The global market for the Healthcare Staffing Market is entering a period of notable expansion, driven by acute workforce shortages, rising healthcare demand, increasing use of flexible staffing models and growing outsourcing of staffing services across hospitals, clinics and ambulatory care centres. According to a report by Vantage Market Research, the market is estimated at approximately USD 42.82 billion in 2024 and projected to reach around USD 96.80 billion by 2035, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 7.75% from 2025 to 2035. With healthcare delivery models evolving rapidly including telehealth, home-care, allied services and travel nursing the healthcare staffing market is well positioned to support these shifts globally.

Key Takeaways

1. The healthcare staffing market is estimated at USD 42.82 billion in 2024.
2. It is forecast to reach USD 96.80 billion by 2035, at a CAGR of 7.75% during 2025-2035.
3. North America currently holds the largest regional share; Asia Pacific is expected to register the fastest growth.
4. Key growth drivers include a mounting shortage of healthcare professionals, rising chronic disease-burden, expansion of outpatient/ambulatory care settings and increasing use of contingent staffing (travel nurse, locum tenens, allied healthcare).
5. Major challenges include regulatory and credentialing hurdles, rising costs of staffing, retention and burnout issues, and variability in global staffing supply and quality.

Key Market Trends

Several key trends are shaping the healthcare staffing market: the persistent global shortage of nurses, allied health professionals and physicians is driving demand for staffing services; flexible staffing models such as travel nursing, per-diem staffing and locum tenens are becoming mainstream; digital platforms, workforce-analytics and AI-enabled scheduling tools are increasingly used to optimise staffing efficiency; outsourcing staffing services by healthcare facilities is on the rise to control costs and manage variability; and emerging markets are seeing increasing adoption of staffing solutions as healthcare infrastructure expands. These combined factors are fueling growth in the staffing market globally.

Market Size & Forecast

Analysis from Vantage Market Research estimates the global healthcare staffing market size at USD 42.82 billion in 2024. Over the forecast period 2025 to 2035, the market is projected to grow to USD 96.80 billion, representing a CAGR of approximately 7.75%. This growth trajectory underscores the increasing reliance of healthcare delivery systems on flexible and outsourced staffing models to meet rising demand, manage workforce shortages and address cost pressures.

The healthcare staffing market is moderately concentrated with a mix of large global players and numerous regional/niche providers. Key characteristics include: a strong emphasis on credentialing, regulatory compliance, licencing and quality assurance; high operational complexity given the variability of staffing needs across facilities and geographies; recurring revenue streams from ongoing placements and workforce-management contracts; and increasing use of technology platforms to match supply and demand in real-time. Barriers to entry include regulatory frameworks, access to clinician networks, workforce quality standards and operational infrastructure. As staffing becomes more strategic for healthcare providers, staffing firms that offer integrated services (analytics, credentialing, training) hold competitive advantage.

Service Types Insights

The healthcare staffing market by service types includes travel nurse staffing, per diem nurse staffing, locum tenens staffing, and allied healthcare staffing. Travel nurse staffing dominates due to its flexibility in addressing nurse shortages across hospitals and critical care units. Locum tenens services are widely adopted to fill temporary physician gaps, while per diem staffing caters to short-term, on-demand needs. Allied healthcare staffing is rapidly growing as demand for therapists, technicians, and home-care professionals continues to increase globally amid chronic disease prevalence.

End Uses Insights

Based on end uses, the market is segmented into hospitals, clinics & ambulatory care centers, long-term care facilities, and home healthcare settings. Hospitals represent the largest end-use segment due to their high patient volumes and continuous demand for qualified medical professionals. Clinics and ambulatory centers increasingly rely on flexible staffing for specialized outpatient services. Meanwhile, long-term care and home healthcare facilities are witnessing strong growth, driven by aging populations and the rising preference for in-home medical support and personalized patient care.

Regional Insights

North America Healthcare Staffing Market Trends

North America holds the largest share of the healthcare staffing market owing to its mature healthcare infrastructure, persistent staffing shortages (especially nurses and physicians), high reliance on contingent staffing models (travel nurses, locum tenens) and established outsourcing practice. The U.S. in particular is a major growth engine given demographic pressures, regulatory staffing mandates and competition for qualified professionals. This regional dominance is expected to continue over the forecast period.

Europe Market Healthcare Staffing Trends

In Europe, the healthcare staffing market is growing steadily driven by ageing populations, cross-border migration of healthcare professionals, policy efforts to modernise staffing models and the increasing outsourcing of workforce solutions. Countries such as Germany, UK, and France show rising demand for nursing and allied health staff. However, regulatory diversity, language requirements and slower adoption of travel-nurse models compared to the U.S. moderate growth pace.

Asia Pacific Healthcare Staffing Market Trends

Asia Pacific is projected to be the fastest-growing region for healthcare staffing, supported by expanding healthcare infrastructure, rising healthcare access, increasing investments in long-term care and home-health services, and slower labour market development for healthcare professionals. Countries such as India, China, ASEAN nations and Australia are increasing reliance on staffing services to manage supply-demand imbalances. This region offers major growth potential for staffing firms.

Latin America Healthcare Staffing Market Trends

In Latin America, the healthcare staffing market is emerging with increasing demand for outsourcing of staffing, growth of private healthcare facilities, and rising focus on quality of care. However, economic variability, regulatory and credentialing differences, and limited availability of specialised staff present challenges. As staffing solutions improve and regional networks expand, Latin America is expected to contribute noticeable incremental growth.

Middle East & Africa Healthcare Staffing Market Trends

The Middle East & Africa region is at a nascent stage of healthcare staffing market maturity but is gradually increasing adoption driven by workforce shortages, growing healthcare infrastructure investment (especially in GCC countries), and rising demand for home-health and allied services. Constraints include limited workforce supply, credentialing variability and less mature staffing models. Over the forecast period, expansion of staffing networks and regional investment offer growth opportunities.

Top Key Players Healthcare Staffing Market

1. Almost Family
2. Adecco Group
3. CHG Management Inc.
4. AMN Healthcare
5. Cross Country Healthcare Inc.
6. Envision Healthcare Corporation
7. LocumTenens.com
8. TeamHealth
9. Maxim Healthcare Services Inc.
10. Syneos Health Inc.

These firms are among the leading players in the global healthcare staffing market as identified by Vantage Market Research. They possess extensive networks of healthcare professionals, large contracts with hospitals and clinics, technology-enabled staffing platforms and significant geographic reach.

Recent Developments

1. In 2025, a leading staffing company announced a strategic partnership with a large hospital system to deliver a full managed-service workforce-solution across multiple care settings, including outpatient clinics, home-health agencies and ambulatory surgery centres marking an expansion of staffing models beyond acute care hospitals.
2. In 2024, a major healthcare staffing provider launched an AI-powered workforce-analytics platform to match clinician availability with hospital demand in real-time, enabling faster filling of travel-nurse and locum-tenens assignments, reducing hospital staffing agency costs and improving assignment fulfilment rates.

Market Scope

The Vantage Market Research report on the healthcare staffing market uses the base year 2024 and provides forecasts through the year 2035. Key metrics include the market revenue (USD 42.82 billion in 2024) and projected revenue (USD 96.80 billion by 2035) with a CAGR of 7.75%. It also includes competitive landscape analysis, company profiling, regional trend insights and detailed market-dynamics (drivers, restraints, opportunities and challenges).

Market Dynamics

Driver:

A primary driver of the healthcare staffing market is the persistent shortage of healthcare professionals globally, including nurses, physicians and allied health workers. Demographic shifts such as ageing populations, rising incidence of chronic diseases and escalating healthcare service demand are increasing the need for staffing solutions. Healthcare facilities are increasingly turning to staffing agencies and contingent workforce models to maintain operational continuity, meet regulatory staffing mandates and improve patient-care outcomes.

Restraint:

A significant restraint is the rising cost of staffing services and difficulty retaining skilled professionals, which places pressure on healthcare provider budgets. Additional restraints include regulatory/licensing complexity, credential verification burdens, clinician burnout and turnover, and regional variability in workforce quality and availability. These factors can impede growth and profitability of staffing firms.

Opportunity:

An important opportunity lies in expanding staffing services into emerging regions (Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East & Africa), expanding into home-health and outpatient care models, and leveraging technology (AI scheduling, tele-staffing, digital platforms) to improve staffing efficiency. Staffing firms can also offer value-added services like training, credentialing, workforce-analytics and managed-service contracts to differentiate themselves.

Challenges:

Key challenges include ensuring workforce quality and compliance across geographies, managing clinician engagement and retention, reacting to regulatory changes (e.g., staffing ratio mandates), integrating technology platforms with healthcare delivery workflows, and facing competition from in-house staffing or alternative workforce models. Moreover, staffing firms must maintain margins while meeting high service expectations from hospitals and payers.

Market Segmentation

1. By Service Type: Travel Nurse Staffing, Per Diem Nurse Staffing, Locum Tenens Staffing, Allied Healthcare Staffing
2. By End-Use: Hospitals, Clinics / Ambulatory Facilities, Long-Term Care / Home Health, Other End-Uses
3. By Region: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East & Africa

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the estimated size of the global healthcare staffing market in 2024?

USD 42.82 billion.

1. What is the projected market size by 2035 and the expected CAGR?

Forecasted size: USD 96.80 billion; CAGR: 7.75%.

1. Which region currently holds the largest share?

North America currently holds the largest share.

1. Which region is expected to grow the fastest?

Asia Pacific is projected to grow the fastest.

1. Which service type holds the largest share?

Travel nurse staffing typically holds the largest share in service type.

1. Which end-use setting is the largest?

Hospitals segment dominates among end-use settings.

1. What are the key drivers and restraints?

Drivers: Workforce shortage, demand growth, flexible staffing adoption. Restraints: Cost pressures, retention issues, regulatory burden.

1. Who are some of the major players in the market?

Almost Family; Adecco Group; CHG Management Inc.; AMN Healthcare; Cross Country Healthcare Inc.