A new analysis of U.S. healthcare wages before and after the COVID-19 pandemic found modest narrowing of pay gaps across jobs, education, race, and gender.
The study was published recently in Health Affairs.
Researchers found that among nonphysicians healthcare workers, aides, and assistants saw the largest wage gains, with earnings rising 13.6% between 2015 and 2024. By comparison, registered nurses and technicians had smaller increases of 3.8% and 1.1%, respectively. Advanced practice providers, who earn higher average salaries, saw 8.3% wage growth over the same period.
The wage increases occurred in an organic way, said senior author Bianca Frogner, director of the Center for Health Workforce Studies at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
“In a way, the silver lining for the pandemic was that it created more job opportunities within the system for low-wage workers,” she said. “I hope we can take advantage of the moment we see here and not let it fade.”