EPH Conference statement commitment 5: “A resilient and valued workforce is key to sustainable health systems. We call for long-term investment in training, retention, decent working conditions, and well-being for all health and care workers.”
Across Europe and beyond, the health and care workforce (HCWF) is experiencing a prolonged and deepening crisis. Demographic shifts, evolving population health needs, technological transitions, labour market dynamics, and growing pressures on professionals to manage complex decisions under constrained conditions are reshaping the workforce for decades to come. The recently published Supplement to the European Journal of Public Health emphasises that responding to these challenges requires a comprehensive and strategic perspective that anticipates future vulnerabilities rather than reacting to current shortages. It highlights two guiding principles: workforce solutions must be grounded in evidence and better aligned between research, policy, and organisational practice; and frontline experiences — including collaboration challenges, retention decisions, migration pressures, and moral injury — must inform reforms at organisational, national, and transnational levels (Ungureanu et al., 2026).
Recent European evidence confirms the scale of the challenge. Health at a Glance: Europe 2024 estimates a shortage of approximately 1,2 million health workers in the EU requires a multipronged strategy: increasing the supply of professionals through education, training, and targeted recruitment; improving retention by enhancing working conditions, career development, and well-being; and boosting productivity by embracing innovative care models such as task-shifting, integrated and community-based services, and the effective use of digital tools and data-driven solutions. Health workforce shortages are firmly on the agenda of the European Semester, which calls on EU Member States to address structural gaps, improve resilience, and invest in sustainable health systems through country-specific guidance. Health workforce challenges are highlighted in all the 2025 Country Reports. The 2026 European Semester package, which sets the stage for the 2026 Semester cycle, stresses in the Council Recommendation on the Human Capital that health workforce shortages remain one of the structural bottlenecks.
The WHO Health and Care Workforce Framework for Action 2023–2030 similarly stresses that expanding training capacity alone will not be sufficient. Sustainable workforce strategies require supporting working environments, improved workforce intelligence, strengthened governance, and long-term investment in skills development, leadership, and well-being (World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, 2023). Retention, job quality, and professional support are increasingly recognised as critical determinants of workforce stability, all by understanding that meaningful engagement of professionals in shaping reform is required.
The European Observatory further underlines that workforce sustainability depends on intersectoral governance. Education systems, labour market policies, migration frameworks, financing arrangements, and professional regulation all influence workforce supply and retention. Fragmented responsibilities, weak coordination across ministries, and gaps in implementation capacity undermine long-term planning. Strengthening collaboration across sectors and levels of government is therefore essential to build a resilient workforce (Caffrey et al., 2023).
Taken together, strengthening and supporting the workforce requires attention at multiple levels: individual well-being and professional development; organisational culture and leadership; improving national planning systems; and strengthening European cooperation mechanisms. When frontline realities are integrated into system design and governance structures support implementation, workforce reforms become more sustainable, effective and equitable.