LTC is a labour-intensive service, and formal care is in many cases a necessary complement to informal, unpaid work in supporting people with LTC needs (see indicator “Informal carers”). Formal LTC workers are defined as paid staff – typically nurses and personal carers – who provide care and/or assistance to people limited in their daily activities at home or in institutions, excluding hospitals. There are on average five LTC workers per 100 people aged 65 and over across 32 OECD countries, ranging from 12 in Norway and Sweden to less than one in Greece, Poland and Portugal (). COVID‑19 has exacerbated the need for higher staffing levels to replace sick or isolating LTC workers and to take care of ill LTC recipients. While nearly all OECD countries with available data have introduced measures (such as funding) to recruit LTC workers directly or indirectly, more could be done (OECD, forthcoming[3]).