#workforce-shortages

#workforce-shortages

Not long ago, Vermont had a population problem. Then Act 76 ushered in affordable child care for the first time in the state's history. Vermont had a problem. Child care was too expensive. We would be paying $3,500 a month, more than twice our mortgage. Some parents were giving up their careers to stay home After daycare, you come home with maybe $60 extra a week. It's just not even worth it at that point.

I was in San Francisco earlier this week, debating the AI dividend with a dozen CEOs of major hospital systems at a dinner sponsored by Philips. If you're Suresh Gunasekaran of UCSF Health, which consistently ranks among the world's best in health outcomes and medical research, AI is becoming baked into a more seamless patient experience. "Being a medical student, a pharmacy student, a nurse is no longer the same in the age of AI," Gunasekaran said.

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

The survey by Unison of almost 3,000 support staff including teaching assistants, caterers and cleaners found that three in five reported having fewer colleagues than a year ago, with just six per cent saying numbers have increased. More than three-quarters surveyed said there were not enough workers to meet pupils' needs, with a similar number warning that reduced staffing made it harder to keep pupils safe.

The program will distribute $50 billion to states between fiscal year 2026 and fiscal year 2030, with $10 billion released each year. That represents roughly a 50% increase in federal spending on rural healthcare, which currently totals about $19 billion per year through Medicaid. To qualify for funding, states must submit a detailed plan outlining how they intend to use the money to improve rural healthcare.