Demand for health practitioners drops

Demand for healthcare practitioners dipped in March, according to data released yesterday by research association The Conference Board. Health practitioners and technical occupations dropped by 18,800 in March to 578,100, mostly attributed to fewer advertisements in registered nursing, occupational therapy, speech pathology and physical therapy. However, work opportunities continue to outnumber practitioners looking for jobs, as the ratio of advertised vacancies to job seekers stands at 2.41 to 1. Overall, labor demand across industries is up, rising 246,300 in March to 4.67 million and has been gaining ground during the past four months. There are, however, 8.4 million more unemployed in the nation than there are vacancies.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics last month predicted that healthcare jobs will grow the fastest of all industries by 2020, with healthcare practitioners and technical occupations rising 25.9 percent between 2010 and 2020. Conference Board announcement