State officials recently announced a plan to address critical shortages in the state's healthcare workforce, laying out strategies to recruit, train and retain the employees who support older adults, people with disabilities and those with behavioral health needs.

The Direct Care Workforce Strategic Plan looks to bring stability to a field to stabilize a high-turnover field struggling with job vacancies by focusing on three areas: strengthening workforce data, bringing in more new workers and improving job conditions.

 The plan also calls for improved methods to collect information on job satisfaction and training, the creation of an advisory board that includes direct-care laborers and a system to track workforce trends and the monitoring of whether wage increases reach workers as intended.

“Direct care workers make independence possible for hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans, and their work is fundamental to the health, safety, and dignity of the people who we serve,” Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman said in a statement. “This strategic plan reflects our commitment to building a stronger, more supported, and more sustainable workforce - one that is valued for its skill, compassion, and essential role in New Jersey’s communities and economic success.”