In France, families looking for elderly care often face a puzzling situation: modern nursing homes, either newly built or recently renovated, remain largely empty, while long waiting lists for care continue to grow. Despite significant investment—over 1.5 billion euros in recent years—many of these facilities cannot operate effectively due to a shortage of qualified staff. According to the DREES, a public health agency, nearly 22,060 positions in nursing homes have been vacant for more than six months, which accounts for about 5.3% of the sector’s total jobs. Including other health and social care facilities, the number of unfilled positions could be as high as 72,000. The Court of Audit, France’s highest audit body, has identified the lack of trained personnel as the main obstacle to improving care capacity. Although the number of staff per 100 beds has increased slightly—from 59 to 63 full-time equivalents—the Court considers this still inadequate to meet the growing demand for care, particularly for elderly individuals with severe dependency. In half of the inspected nursing homes, there was either no coordinating physician or the hours worked by medical staff were insufficient for proper patient care. A third of the homes reviewed in 2022 had either recently experienced or were still facing a vacancy in this crucial position, which is central to the quality of care provided. To cope with staffing shortages, many nursing homes have turned to temporary or short-term workers. This approach has led to unstable work environments, high rates of absenteeism, and a reliance on temporary staff, which can compromise the quality of care. This creates a cycle where the unattractive nature of the job—often seen as low-paying and stressful—leads to fewer applicants, worsening staffing shortages, which in turn make working conditions even more difficult, further deterring potential workers. A 2017 report by Myriam El Khomri, a former labor minister, noted a 25% decline in the number of people applying for nursing assistant positions between 2012 and 2017, a trend that has not been adequately addressed. Despite government promises to inspect 7,500 nursing homes over two years, only 1,400 were actually examined due to a lack of staff. Without enough personnel, inspecting the remaining facilities seems impossible. The Court of Audit has estimated that improving medical care in these facilities would require between 1.3 and 1.9 billion euros annually. This raises a critical question: how can France make elderly care jobs more appealing to attract and retain caregivers, rather than continuing to invest in infrastructure that remains underutilized due to the lack of trained personnel?