Key Insights

The NC Center on the Workforce for health released the third year of NC Health Talent Alliance (NC HTA) workforce supply and demand analysis of key health occupations in the state. Now in its third year, the analysis expands the set occupations and deepens analysis to new metrics that better pinpoint some of the most difficult to hire positions. In whole, the analysis is intended to support decision making and action among nine regional employer collaboratives distributed across the NC AHEC regions while providing state officials and partners a meaningful understanding of where further attention is needed to better align systems. The findings, published in a suite of regional and state reports, provide strong indicators on the current state of North Carolina’s health workforce and the progress being made to address ongoing shortages.

Positions of Interest

• Certified Nursing Assistant
• Community Health Worker
• Emergency Medical Technician
• Licensed Practical Nurse
• Medical Assistant
• Mental Health Counselor
• Paramedic
• Radiologic Technologist
• Registered Nurse
• Social Worker

Dashboard

Reports & Analyses

2026 Executive Summary 

2026 Full Report

Regional Snapshots Available Soon!

Webinar Materials

Download PowerPoint Slides: HTA 2026 Webinar 261026

---

About the data

Since 2024, the NC Health Talent Alliance (HTA), a project of the NC Center on the Workforce for Health in collaboration with the NC Chamber Foundation and NC AHEC regions, has tracked key supply and demand metrics to understand trends affecting priority health occupations. In March 2026, the Center distributed the third annual HTA employer demand survey to North Carolina health employers and conducted analyses of secondary data from Lightcast, the NC Board of Nursing, the NC Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Health Service Regulation, US Department of Education, and UNC Chapel Hill’s Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research.

The HTA surveys focused on registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs), certified nursing assistants (CNAs), medical assistants (MAs), EMTs, paramedics, social workers, mental health counselors, radiologic technologists, and community health workers (CHWS). The demand survey measured employer needs through two key metrics: vacancy rates and churn (turnover) rates. This year, data submitted through Radius Group, a workforce analytics partner, was used to also calculate measures to describe the severity of hiring challenges: average length of vacancies and percentage of vacancies unfilled after more than 90 days. The supply analysis measured student progression through relevant education programs from interest to completion.

This year’s survey drew data representing more than 102,000 positions at more than 1,700 facilities across North Carolina. Taken together, these results provide concrete evidence of the current state of health workforce needs across North Carolina. They also highlight the progress being made to address those needs, while guiding regional and statewide action. Findings are being used by employers, educators, and workforce entities through the Talent Pipeline Management® (TPM) framework to inform local strategies and shape broader statewide efforts to strengthen the healthcare workforce.

About NC Health Talent Alliance

The NC Chamber Foundation and the NC Center on the Workforce for Health formally launched the landmark NC Health Talent Alliance public-private partnership in 2023 to aggressively address the state’s critical health care workforce shortages, and it will conduct an annual survey of health employers and educational organizations. By leveraging the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s proven Talent Pipeline Management® (TPM) framework, the Health Talent Alliance works to fill critical health sector roles by building robust talent pipelines aligned with industry demand. NC AHEC regions are implementation partners, hiring regional staff to coordinate action with regional employers, educators, and workforce entities. For more information, visit https://workforceforhealth.org/hta.