The U.S. could be facing a growing shortage of health care providers just as the baby boomer generation reaches retirement age, Bloomberg News reports.

The reason: As living standards and career opportunities improve in developing countries, many who would previously have chosen to emigrate and pursue careers as nurses or physicians here, now choose to stay home instead. Currently, around 27% of the nation’s doctors and 5% of its nurses are foreign, the article states. Those percentages are likely to be even higher for unskilled in-home caregivers.

As the shortage worsens, health care employers can expect to pay more for qualified candidates, Bloomberg News says. The silver lining: This development may help abate more severe health care provider shortages in developing nations.