New Hampshire leads in healthcare job listings per capita

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Those seeking work in the healthcare industry would do well to look to New England: According to a new analysis from Tebra, New Hampshire has the most healthcare job listings per capita, followed by Maine and Massachusetts.

Rounding out the top 10, in descending order, are North Dakota, Vermont, Alaska, Pennsylvania, Montana, Connecticut and West Virginia.

Nevada, meanwhile, has the fewest healthcare job postings per capita, followed by Utah and Mississippi.

WHAT'S THE IMPACT?

One caveat to the findings is that the healthcare job listings found in these states tend to be relatively lower-paying. About one-third of the full-time job postings paid between $35,000 and $40,000. In all, 61% of postings offered salaries less than $60,000; for almost half of U.S. states, such a salary would not be considered a living wage, Tebra's data showed.

Analysis cited healthcare's widespread staffing crisis as reflective of the number of job listings in each state. New Hampshire's staffing shortage was evidenced by 1,050 healthcare job postings per 100,000 residents. Maine, Massachusetts, North Dakota and Vermont had more than 600 job openings per 100,000 residents.

By contrast, Nevada had just 216 job postings per 100,000 residents, followed by Utah and Mississippi with 238 and 257 listings, respectively.

Tebra pointed to staffing shortages and pay disparities as ongoing problems within the healthcare industry, specifically citing a recent strike at Kaiser Permanente, in which more than 75,000 employees walked off the job on October 4. Those who walked out include nursing assistants, house keepers, X-ray technicians, phlebotomists, pharmacists, optometrists and other support staff. The strike garnered workers a 21% raise over four years.

To avoid future strikes, analysis said the healthcare industry will need to increase pay for healthcare professionals to reflect their demanding schedules and responsibilities. They also advised hospitals to address staffing shortages as quickly as possible to prevent worker burnout and turnover.

THE LARGER TREND

The staffing and skills shortages in healthcare continue as inflation pressures mount, while roles focused on mental health are among the top 50 healthcare jobs in the U.S., according to July research from job search engine Adzuna.

Alarmingly, the talent shortage in the healthcare sector has intensified as the majority of the top 50 healthcare positions had more unfilled roles than a year ago. It's particularly prevalent among highly skilled specialist roles like coroner and audiologist. The advertised job openings for coroner skyrocketed nine times (969.47%), from 285 jobs in June 2022 to 3,048 jobs in June 2023. Meanwhile, Audiologist vacancies surged 930.99% within a year, up from 384 jobs in 2022 to 3,959 jobs in 2023.

Compared to a year ago, all nursing vacancies have skyrocketed, growing as much as 351%. However, employers appear more reluctant this year to provide monetary incentives like sign-on and retention bonuses.

While the recurring narrative of nurses being severely underpaid is not new, advertised salaries for nurses averaged just $85,244 in June 2023, despite the high demand.
 

Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: Jeff.Lagasse@himssmedia.com