WHO launches framework to bring care workers into the health workforce fold

The WHO Academy has released a new policy framework — Development, Management and Support of Care Workers: Towards an Integrated Health and Care Workforce — aimed at helping countries formally recognize and integrate care workers into health workforce planning. As populations age and the burden of chronic disease and disability grows, the demand for care workers is surging. Yet health and care systems are frequently planned in silos, leaving care workers — often women, and frequently unpaid — underrepresented in workforce strategies.

The publication offers evidence-informed policy options spanning 20 thematic areas, organized around three career stages: entering the workforce, being supported throughout working life, and managing exits. It also flags critical evidence gaps and addresses issues of gender equality, migrant worker status, and differences between public and private care settings.

Key Takeaways:

• Two priorities stand out from the evidence: strengthening education and training, and improving working conditions, including wages
• The framework is designed for governments, policymakers, employers, educators, and regulators
• Gender equity and the inclusion of migrant and unpaid workers are central considerations

Why it matters: Care workers are the backbone of health systems worldwide, yet they've long been invisible in workforce policy. This WHO framework could help countries build more equitable, sustainable, and people-centred health systems by finally giving care workers the recognition — and support — they deserve.