Nurses, mental health professionals in high demand
Compared to a year ago, all nursing vacancies have skyrocketed, growing as much as 351%.
Photo: Emir Memedovski/Getty Images
The staffing and skills shortages in healthcare continues as inflation pressures mount, while roles focused on mental health are among the top 50 healthcare jobs in the US.
The most in-demand position is that of a nurse, advertising 437,168 vacancies in June 2023, followed by nursing assistant (104,275 jobs) and specialized physician (55,378 jobs), according to 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 is particularly prevalent among highly skilled specialist roles like coroner and audiologist. The advertised job openings for coroner skyrocketed 9 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.
Among the 12 nurse positions in the data set, critical care nurse has had the biggest year-on-year growth in the number of vacancies (+351.19%), but at the same time the role has experienced the biggest drop in the proportion of jobs offering sign-on bonuses (-21.19 percentage points).
Brad Squibb, North America vice president for Adzuna, explained that employers may be turning towards nonmonetary incentives like flexible working arrangements to attract nursing professionals.
"We noticed there's an uptick in the proportion of jobs offering flexible working options, except for nurse practitioners and mental health nurses," he said.
WHAT'S THE IMPACT?
He added that currently, healthcare expenditure in the U.S. is the highest globally, accounting for 18.3% of GDP in 2021.
"Regardless of work type and specialty, the healthcare industry faces severe labor shortages," he said.
Squibb noted that since the healthcare industry has been suffering from ongoing labor shortages, the retention of workers is important.
"Employers need to make sure they are offering perks and benefits that are valuable to what these workers need at this time and are going to keep them satisfied at their job," he says. "In addition to flexible work, and sign-on and retention bonuses being advertised, we've also seen job ads offering fertility benefits such as egg freezing and IVF, tuition reimbursement, and mental health benefits."
THE LARGER TREND
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, overall employment in healthcare occupations is projected to grow 13% from 2021 to 2031, much faster than the average for all positions.
"The healthcare job outlook is strong and will continue to dominate in the world of work," Squibb said. "As the world continues to normalize and acknowledge the importance of mental health, there will be an increase of vacancies for current positions and more relevant healthcare positions developed over time."
Meanwhile, the healthcare industry is gradually adopting the new normal, flexible working.
"In our previous research on registered nurses and telenurses, we've spotted a steady rise of virtual nurses," he explained. "Compared to the beginning of the pandemic, advertised vacancies for virtual nurse roles have more than doubled."
In addition, opportunities for professional growth and career advancement are in high demand, so healthcare professionals can climb the ladder and stay up to speed with the changes happening within their industry and new technologies developed to help their jobs be more efficient.
"Upskilling can also help to drive inclusion and diversity within a company, especially within the healthcare industry" Squibb said. "In today's world of work, this is very important to most employees and looking to work for a company that supports DE&I."
Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: Jeff.Lagasse@himssmedia.com
