The healthcare field is growing. You know this. An aging population that requires more and complex care plus advances in medical technology are making this a destination career for more and more people every year. That increases the competition for the best and most qualified healthcare workers and creates the need for a deep talent pool for the years to come. If you’re honing your recruitment strategy to make your organization more competitive, here are six statistics to keep in mind.
Six Healthcare Recruiting Statistics To Keep In Mind When Hiring
1. The Healthcare Industry Is Becoming The Largest Employer In The U.S.
As of the end of 2017, the healthcare industry had leapfrogged past the manufacturing and retail sectors to become the largest employer in the United States. And in fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected that by 2026, the healthcare and social assistance sector will add nearly 4 million jobs, which works out to be a third of all new jobs. From physicians and nurses to administrative and support roles, it’s an industry that welcomes a diverse workforce with a wide range of skills and experience.
2. Healthcare Workforce Demand Will Outpace Supply By 2025.
Per analysis by Mercer Health Provider Advisory, there will be a potentially serious gap between healthcare jobs available and candidates to fill them, particularly with home health aides (446,300 jobs), nursing assistants (95,000 jobs), medical and laboratory technologists and technicians (98,700 jobs), and nurse practitioners (29,400 jobs).
To help your organization manage these gaps before they become a crisis, the time to start recruiting against the shortage is now. The more talent you’re able to bring in and nurture within the organization over the crucial next few years, the better you’ll be able to withstand workforce gaps and plan around them.
3. Virtual Healthcare Has A Very Real Upside
According to a survey by Deloitte, 64 percent of consumers see the convenience and increased access of virtual healthcare (such as telemedicine, online health resources, social media, or health metric tracking) as major benefits in the industry. For your own organization, it may mean recruiting with an eye toward tech development. As patients go online for care, organizations will need to develop strong digital platforms and presences—as well as bring in the candidates who can be adept with this digital future.
4. The Time To Fill Open Positions Is Increasing
In 2016, Health eCareers found that the time to fill open healthcare positions had grown for 49 percent of organizations. This may require a shift in how your organization thinks about filling vacancies, such as considering temporary or contract workers to fill gaps.
5. Employer Branding Is Key To Finding Better Candidates
A recent survey by Health eCareers showed that an astounding 92 percent of healthcare organizations were looking to improve employer branding as a hiring and recruitment tool. However, only about 43 percent of the organizations had budgeted for developing and maintaining their employer
By dedicating resources to monitoring and continuously improving your organization’s employer brand (separate from the organizational, corporate, or customer-facing brand), you’ll be positioning yourself on the right side of the gap. Robust online resources for potential candidates and a strong social media presence can help bring your organization to the front of any top candidate’s list.
6. Benefits Packages Are Growing—With No End In Sight
More and better benefits have always been a great way to boost recruiting. And now, with unemployment low and competition getting stiffer for the best healthcare candidates, it’s becoming a must-have. According to an SHRM survey, 34 percent of healthcare organizations are increasing benefits to attract top talent. Many organizations are reluctant to invest these resources, but with little change likely in the healthcare recruiting landscape in the near future, these bolder benefits packages will become a fact of life—and part of the bottom line.
The good news is that these stats add up to a strong healthcare recruitment scenario that rewards organizations that think strategically and realistically about the investments of time, energy, and financial resources now, as opposed to later. So internalize them, share them with your staff, and start developing a recruitment and hiring process to seize the moment.