Sept 16 (Reuters) - A majority of younger U.S. healthcare workers plan to explore new jobs within the next year, even ‌as many want long-term stability with a single employer, a survey ‌released on Wednesday found.

The findings highlight a retention challenge for U.S. healthcare employers already ​facing a projected shortage of nearly 500,000 workers by 2038, as an aging workforce and rising demand put pressure on staffing.

About 70% of Generation Z healthcare workers, generally those born between 1997 and 2012, said they expect ‌to explore new roles ⁠over the next year, according to the survey by Harris Poll, commissioned by education services company Strategic Education ⁠and Workforce Edge.

Yet 65% said they ultimately hope to remain with one employer for five years or more, while nearly all said job stability was ​important to ​them.

Across all age groups, 59% of ​healthcare workers said they expect ‌to seek a new role over the next year, the survey found.

The findings suggest that career advancement, rather than simply a desire to change jobs, may be an important factor driving turnover among younger workers, the survey said.

Nearly half of employers surveyed said a lack of career ‌growth or training was the top reason ​workers leave, while only about one in ​four employees said they ​trusted their employer to invest in their future.

The online ‌survey of 1,514 healthcare employees and ​304 employers was conducted ​from June 12 to July 1.

Employers also appear to be reassessing the role of artificial intelligence in workforce planning. About 79% ​said AI skills would ‌be critical for employees to remain competitive, down from 89% ​a year earlier, according to the survey.

(Reporting by Kamal Choudhury ​in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore)