Following a peak in hiring towards the end of last year, healthcare job vacancies have dropped, though application numbers are showing some signs of positivity. That’s according to recent research from the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo).
The statistics, provided by the world’s largest network of job boards, Broadbean Technology, revealed that, when comparing data from the start of this year with Q4 2021, vacancies were down by 18%. In comparison, job applications rose by almost the same amount, with applications per vacancy (APV) at their highest rate since Q2 2021.
When drawing regional comparisons, it’s to be expected that Greater London has by far the greatest number of healthcare vacancies, holding almost triple the number of jobs in the West Midlands, which is the region that comes in second place for new jobs. Of the top-scoring regions, Greater London and Surrey recorded the highest applications per vacancy (APV) rates (averaging at 8 applications per job).
Ann Swain, CEO of APSCo, commented:
“While a rise in the number of applications per vacancy in the sector is extremely promising, the healthcare arena has historically had resourcing challenges, so we don’t expect this trend to continue on a long-term basis. Recruitment across healthcare is highly competitive and highly complex, something that has only been exacerbated since Brexit with the sector losing a number of international professionals following the UK’s exit from the Bloc. What is needed across healthcare hiring is a sector-wide recognition of the best approach to recruitment – one that ensures top candidates are being engaged with and recruited in not only a compliant way, but also in a manner which provides applicants with a high-quality experience. In order to drive this, APSCo has launched a new best practice standard for the clinical and healthcare sector to support quality hiring processes.”
