Hiring scramble prompts decisions that are quick, bad

PITTSBURGH – Healthcare organizations are facing a competitive market for staff, including executives, resulting in short-sighted hiring practices that often end up costing more money than expected.

Employers in the healthcare industry are feeling the pinch of a tightening labor market, according to results of a study by Development Dimensions International, a Pittsburgh-based consulting firm, and Monster, a Maynard, Mass.-based online recruitment resource.

The study found that competition for talent has increased over the past two years, with competition at the managerial level being the fiercest.

“The war for talent is heating up, increasing last year and it will continue to heat up,” said Ann Howard, DDI’s chief scientist. “Healthcare organizations are finding fewer qualified applicants out there, and there’s more competition for the people that are out there.”

“Healthcare employers need to focus on long-term recruitment and retention strategies,” said Jesse Harriott, vice president of research for Monster.

“Feeling the Pain of Health Care’s War for Talent: Selection Forecast 2006-2007” is built on 280 responses from staffing directors, hiring managers and job seekers.

The heated market for talent is prompting some organizations to hire quickly. The survey found that one-third of employers were willing to change the responsibilities of a job to fit a good applicant. In addition, they were 15 percent more likely than those in other industries to ignore important job criteria when hiring candidates because of the pressure to fill a position.

“They’re just not being thorough enough, not looking over enough candidates and using a lot of defensive methods to find hires,” Howard said.