Healthcare professionals are feeling secure about the industry and potential professional growth opportunities, according to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Randstad Healthcare.
"We continue to see an uptick in the demand for key healthcare skills, and believe it will only intensify as hospitals and healthcare systems begin to gear up for the influx of patients with access to care resulting from the Affordable Care Act," said Steven McMahan, executive vice president of Randstad US, Professionals in the report.
The Randstad Healthcare Employee Confidence Index remained fairly steady during the second quarter, with a slight decline from 54.5 in the first quarter of 2013 to 54.3 in the second quarter 2013.
The Q2 2013 report points out that from the first quarter to the second quarter, healthcare worker's confidence rose in the following areas:
- Strength of the economy (22% to 26%)
- Future of their employers (58% to 61%)
- Job security (79% to 81%)
A similar workforce trend among healthcare professionals was observed last year when most in the health industry reported feeling confident that they could find jobs.
According to the 2013 report, increased demand of primary care physicians and physician workforce shortages are due to retirement, the aging population and the growing number of insured patients with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
The Randstad report also noted that more than a million jobs were posted for healthcare-related occupations, a three percent year-over-year increase. With 34 percent more job postings online, critical care nurses had the highest hiring growth compared to last year.
CareerBuilder's 2013 Hiring Forecast shows similar findings, calling healthcare "one of the hottest areas for hiring in the U.S. and one of the toughest to recruit in-demand talent."
While healthcare workers miantain a positive attitude, recent data shows an increasing amount of job cuts within the healthcare industry due do the sequester and healthcare reform, according to the latest monthly job cut report released by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.
To learn more:
- here's the report
- read the Career Builder's forecast