The Development of the Nursing Labor Force in the United States: A Basic Analysis

Abstract

In this article, we draw together some basic material on the objective character of the nursing labor force in the United States. First, we present a statistical and descriptive picture of the nursing labor force as it exists today. Then we analyze the historical development of that labor force up to about 1950, stressing its general integration into a hierarchical and concentrated health industry. Finally, we look at the development of the nursing labor force over the past 25 years in terms of factors such as sex, race, age, educational credentials, labor force participation, place of work, and the hierarchical division of labor, discussing the general implications of the changes in these factors for worker organization in the health industry. Our main conclusion is that the nursing labor force is in a key position to lead a movement for the restructuring of the health industry to serve the health needs of the American people rather than the profit and power requirements of the health employers. The primary, and difficult, task ahead is to build labor organizations which will have the vision and unity to work toward this goal.