Priortizing your hiring process isn’t just about filling vacancies, it’s about securing long-term value for your senior living organization. The cost of poor hiring decisions shows up in attrition rates, productivity losses, cultural damage, and financial waste. Here’s what the data tells us, and how an effective hiring strategy can make a difference.
- Turnover remains structurally high in senior living. Recent operator surveys show “all-role” assisted living turnover hovering around the low-40% range, with dining and CNA/caregiver roles the highest and maintenance the lowest. mcknightsseniorliving.com
- By role, single-site operators see the most pressure. Indicative rates reported: CNA ~47%, RN ~40%, LPN ~34% (lower but still elevated at multi-site orgs). Use as directional benchmarks in AL/MC; title naming varies (caregivers/med-techs vs CNAs). Ziegler
- Workforce spend is material. While most senior living organizations report < $200k annually on recruitment/training, ~28.5% spend $1M+ per year tackling turnover and workforce issues. argentum.org
- Labor is the dominant cost line. Labor typically represents ~55% of operating expense in seniors housing — making retention and staffing mix a direct NOI lever. seniorhousingnews.com
- Time-to-fill is non-trivial for licensed roles. Operators report ~42 days to fill RN/LPN roles, elongating agency use and overtime risk. seniorhousingnews.com
- Demand tailwind, supply tightness. Occupancy has risen as new supply slowed; NIC reports U.S. senior housing occupancy 86.5% in 3Q24 and 87.4% in 1Q25 (NIC MAP). Staffing constraints are a gating factor to converting demand. National Investment Center
- Workforce scale: Assisted living alone employs ~494k people; roughly one-fifth of LTC nursing/social-work staff are in AL, underlining the sector’s exposure to hiring markets. ahcancal.org
Why hiring the right person from the start matters in Senior Living
Replacing an employee usually costs about 33% of their annual salary and the total cost of turnover (recruitment, onboarding, lost productivity, etc.) can run to thousands of dollars per employee.
With those numbers in mind, here are some of the ways that recruiting well can protect your senior living organization:
Cost Savings
By avoiding a bad hire, you save directly on recruiting fees, onboarding costs, severance, and the costs of finding a replacement. Also, you avoid the hidden costs – lost productivity, lowered morale, and disruption.
Faster Time to Productivity
When you recruit someone who is a good fit (skills, values, culture), they ramp up faster. Less time making mistakes, less supervision needed, fewer corrections.
Better Retention
By reducing early-leaver rates (e.g. those who leave in the first year), you save yourself from repeatedly rehiring for the same role, which is especially costly.
“In senior living, staff retention is vital. For residents, seeing a different face every day can be unsettling , this is their home. Consistent caregivers who know their routines and preferences can truly transform their experience.” James Long, senior living search consultant
Stronger Culture & Morale
Poor hires can drag down team morale; co-workers pick up the slack or deal with the consequences, which can lead to disengagement or further attrition.
Protecting Reputation & Brand
High turnover and visible hiring missteps damage an organisation’s reputation with prospective employees, clients, and other stakeholders. Being known as “people who hire well, keep people well” is a competitive advantage.
Key Components of a solid hiring strategy
These key areas can enhance and solidify a strategy that mitigates attrition and bad hire risk:
Clear Role Definition: Looking beyond just skills and looking at success criteria, cultural fit and behavioral expectations will help applicants understand more about what is expected of them.
Robust Screening & Assessment: Structured interviews, work samples, values fit, reference checks and behavior based questions are all ways to better assess candidates for a role.
Thoughtful Onboarding: Support, mentorship, clear expectations from day one help new employees feel integrated quickly and helps with retention longer term.
Continual Feedback & Development: A focus on career pathways, training and recognition will improve retention rates through a team who feel valued.
Data & Metrics: Track turnover rates (overall & by role/level), time to hire, cost per hire, performance vs expectations so that you can use the data to identify problem areas and improve your hiring process objectively.
Working with a reputable recruitment partner: With more than 15 years of executive search experience in Senior Care, James has partnered with many of the industry’s leading providers to identify and place high-impact leaders across senior management teams. His deep understanding of the Senior Living market and his ability to engage off-market talent are extremely valuable to support a hiring process to drive meaningful, measurable results.
Conclusion
Hiring the right person from the start saves time and money, but it also keeps teams stable, productive, and engaged. The stakes are high, and bad hires and early attrition cost real dollars. Strategic recruitment in senior living ultimately must come from leadership teams who understand that a thoughtful hiring strategy can reduce turnover, protect culture, and improve outcomes.
With more than 15 years of executive search experience in Senior Care, James Long has partnered with many of the industry’s leading providers to identify and place high-impact leaders across senior management teams. His deep understanding of the Senior Living market and his ability to engage off-market talent are extremely valuable to support a hiring process to drive meaningful, measurable results.
Selecting the right recruitment partner is vital to successfully navigating the ever-evolving Senior Living landscape. You need a partner who not only understands the sector’s unique challenges and opportunities but can also offer strategic guidance and hands-on support throughout every stage of the hiring process.
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