Staffing shortages that have plagued the recovery of senior living facilities and squeezed operators' margins as labor costs rise appear to be easing a bit.

The latest National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care survey shows a significant drop in the percentage of respondents who said they were dealing with "severe" staffing shortages—and a corresponding increase in the number who described the labor shortage as "minimal."

According to NIC's survey, which collected responses from 58 owners and operators in the skilled nursing and senior housing sectors from Sept. 19 to Oct. 16, 9% of respondents listed the staff shortages as severe, compared to 20% who said the crisis was severe during the previous survey, which was held during May and June, and 27% who called it severe in NIC's March/April tally.