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2019 trends review: A recap of this year's top hiring and recruitment strategies

Published on: Dec 16, 2019
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The state of recruitment and hiring in the healthcare sector is changing all the time due to elements like an aging population, rising demands and key challenges impacting organizations' ability to fill their open roles.

As CareerArc CEO Robin Richards pointed out, the healthcare labor market is in "a real squeeze" currently, with high demands for qualified candidates on the rise every day. Despite the uphill battle healthcare recruitment and hiring managers are facing, a few successful strategies have emerged this year.

Let's examine some of the top approaches healthcare organizations are taking to recruit, hire, place and train the right individuals to support patient needs.


A focus on qualified nursing candidates


CareerArc researchers found that one of the largest categories currently for healthcare recruitment and hiring is nursing. These roles accounted for about 8% of all healthcare-related job listings as of the fall of 2019.

"Having nursing jobs account for such a substantial share of all job listings illustrates the consistent, high demand for qualified nurses we've been seeing in the field - a demand that's only anticipated to grow," Richards told HR Daily Advisor.

In this way, many healthcare HR leaders prioritized recruitment and hiring around nursing positions, and this trend is sure to continue into 2020.

People of different genders/races in scrubs and stethoscopes. Recruitment and hiring managers are prioritizing talented nursing candidates.




Expanded retention efforts to reduce turnover


Quelling high turnover rates is a concern in nearly every industry, but this issue is particularly acute in healthcare hiring.

According to HealthcareSource's 2019 Report: The State of Healthcare Recruiting, high turnover remained the leading challenge in healthcare recruiting this year, with one in every five candidates leaving their positions within 12 months. Researchers found that most instances of turnover happen within the first 90 days of hiring, with a 10% increase seen in all healthcare job categories this year.

In order to address this issue, many organizations broadened their retention efforts this year. While many retention programs focus on the first 3-12 month employment period, some HR teams have allocated resources to better support employees even after this window. In fact, HealthcareSource found that facilities that expanded their retention programs saw considerably lower turnover, particularly for nursing positions, compared to institutions that only provide support for the first few months of employees' careers.


Using current employees as a resource


Another impactful trend seen this year involves leveraging the existing employees as a resource to help identify and source new talent. More organizations are offering incentives to workers who can recommend potential peers in the healthcare industry for their employer's open positions.

Check back later to read up on the trends that will emerge in 2020, and connect with us on social to find out more about boosting your recruiting and hiring strategy. Let’s examine some of the top approaches healthcare organizations are taking to recruit, hire, place and train the right individuals to support patient needs.