A lifecycle perspective on the health and care workforce and labour market dynamics

Many countries continue to face persistent shortages and maldistribution of health professionals, particularly in rural and remote areas. The COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted vulnerabilities in health workforce wellbeing, morale, and retention, with implications for productivity, continuity and quality of care, and service delivery. At the same time, migration, the expansion of the gig economy and locum work, increased public-private sector mobility and the prevalence of dual practice are reshaping employment patterns across health and care systems. These challenges are not stand-alone issues but reflect dynamic processes unfolding across the career lifecycle and different stages of the working lifespan. The World Health Organization recommends monitoring the health workforce at three key junctures: when the individuals enter the workforce (planning, education, and recruitment), when they are active members of the workforce (supervision, compensation, working conditions, system support, and lifelong learning), and when they exit (migration, career transitions, and retirement). A lifecycle perspective brings these stages together, enabling a more comprehensive understanding of how workforce trajectories interact with the labour market over time, while also incorporating the perspectives and/or voices of health and care workers. Such approach moves beyond the narrowly economic interpretations of labour markets to examine how inequity, maldistribution, and employment challenges emerge and evolve over time.This article collection of Frontiers in Health Services seeks to advance conceptual, empirical, and policy relevant research to examine health workforce and labour market dynamics through a lifecycle lens. We aim to generate evidence that informs equitable workforce planning, education reform, labour market governance, and sustainable health system management across diverse country contexts and settings.We welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following:1. Gendered labour market dynamics across career stages2. Education-to-employment transitions and preparation for practice3. Distribution challenges, including rural-urban, public-private imbalances4. Employment conditions, contractual arrangements, job security, and non-standard or gig economy work (multiple job holding, moonlighting, etc).5. Career development and pathways6. Migration and international mobility across the lifecycle7. Retention, wellbeing, supervision/management, and lifelong learning8. Regulation and governance shaping workforce trajectories and labour market outcomesWe invite original research (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods), reviews, case studies, opinion pieces, and policy briefs related to these themes. Topic editors: Laetitia Rispel, Yingxi Zhao Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78943/a-lifecycle-perspective-on-the-health-and-care-workforce-and-labour-market-dynamics