Healthcare was one of only a few sectors that posted job gains in August, adding more jobs than the overall economy.

At the same time, healthcare organizations across the U.S. face financial challenges, with at least 77 hospitals cutting jobs in 2025.

With healthcare seen by some as the “backbone” of U.S. hiring, where are human resources leaders at hospitals and health systems prioritizing the most?

Becker’s connected with five health system human resources leaders to learn which areas they are prioritizing.

Emphasis on bedside roles

At Clearwater, Fla.-based BayCare Health System, direct patient care roles, especially nursing, behavioral health and allied health professionals, are a key focus.

“These areas are critical to meeting the growing demand for services across our communities,” Nikki Daily, chief team resources officer, told Becker’s. “We’re also investing in roles that support care coordination and population health, as we continue shifting toward value-based care.

Radnor, Pa.-based Main Line Health is prioritizing clinical roles and support services roles, including nursing, imaging and sterile processing, Pam Teufel, chief human resources officer, told Becker’s.

“We are continuing to build pipelines because we are growing,” Ms. Teufel said. “We have a couple health systems in our market that have closed, and we are full to the brim, so my ability to deliver talent to the organization is imperative.”

Dover, Del.-based Bayhealth is also prioritizing nursing roles and allied professionals such as radiology and laboratory technicians. One area of focus is child care. The system is opening a second child care center location in the first quarter of 2026, licensed for 102 children, Chief Human Resources Officer Darlene Stone told Becker’s.

“We’re going to have to fully staff that in our community as well,” Ms. Stone said. “It’s a benefit and a recruitment and retention tool for our staff, because the child care center is open seven days a week to accommodate the 12-hour shift workers.”

At Annapolis, Md.-based Luminis Health, Chief Human Resources Officer Amy Beales is focused on balance.

“Healthcare has always been a dynamic labor market, and while we’re seeing broad growth nationally, our approach remains steady rather than swinging heavily in one direction or another,” Ms. Beales told Becker’s. “At Luminis Health, our staffing models are grounded in data-driven projections, patient demand, community needs, and operational planning. That means we aren’t ‘doubling down’ in any single area or pulling back dramatically in another; we’re focused on balance and stability.”

Rethinking optimization strategies

Several CHROs also said they are not necessarily reducing hiring in any specific area.

“Rather than pulling back in any specific area, our focus is on optimizing workforce strategies that enhance efficiency and improve the employee experience,” Ms. Daily said. “This is increasingly vital as competition for skilled talent continues to grow.”

While not pulling back entirely, Kalamazoo, Mich.-based Bronson Healthcare is taking a more measured approach to hiring nonclinical roles, Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Chief People Officer Cheryl Johnson told Becker’s. The system is focused on building a sustainable clinical workforce, while being strategic and disciplined in other areas.

“We are being thoughtful about how we deploy talent in these areas, focusing on operational efficiency, supporting work-life integration, and ensuring that every role contributes meaningfully to the patient experience,” she said.

The system is determining where it can streamline operations, leverage technology and improve efficiency without compromising quality of care or patient and employee experience.

“Communication and transparency are key. We are working closely with our teams to help them understand the ‘why’ behind these shifts, hear their voices and tying every decision back to our mission and to the needs of our patients,” Ms. Johnson said. “Ultimately, this is not about reducing the workforce, it is about realigning it in a way that allows us to deliver exceptional care today while building a more sustainable model for the future.”

One area in which Main Line Health is pausing hiring in some cases is with respect to certain leadership roles.

“If a middle manager leaves, we’re trying to push ourselves to say, ‘Could someone’s span increase? Do we need that layer of management, or could we have someone else take it on as a growth opportunity?’” Ms. Teufel said. “The only other area where we would pause is if it is an entry-level job and we feel like we can do some automation with robotic process automation, or any other automation — then we may pause there, and then we may consider deploying it somewhere differently.”

Ms. Stone noted that Bayhealth’s focus is on clinical goals, though it is not consolidating roles intentionally.

“But I think it’s just part of our DNA that when you have a role open up administratively, you will always ask yourselves, through natural attrition, if we’re going to refill it, should we repost it? Do we really need that capacity? Are there other ways that we could look at it?” she said. “So we tend to do it more from an optics [standpoint] when natural attrition occurs, to see what we need to do for the future.”

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