Hays Healthcare
January - March 2012
Hotspots
Demand continues to increase for Registered Nurses with experience in aged care. These Nurses are needed in both metropolitan and regional locations in response to our aging population and ongoing retention issues. It also remains a challenge for many employers to attract Nurses to aged care since salaries are typically lower than the acute sector.
Aged Care Facility Managers are needed in metropolitan areas. The talent pool of Aged Care Managers is shrinking and candidates applying for these roles often have a strong clinical background but lack solid people management skills.
Acute Nurses are needed in regional locations. Skills shortages are creating an overwhelming need for experienced Registered Nurses with specific experience in emergency, theatre and midwifery. There are plenty of applicants at the newly qualified level but employers struggle to find local experienced talent.
Directors of Nursing are needed in metropolitan areas. Growing healthcare services have resulted in a need for commercially aware Directors of Nursing to drive growth.
Increased government funding for mental health services is creating new jobs for Social Workers and Psychologists in areas where demand for these services is high - typically regional and remote locations.
Another area of growth this quarter will be for Occupational Health Nurses and Paramedics within the mining sector. This demand will be most obvious in Queensland, where a number of mines are due to open in the next 12 months.
Overcoming skills shortages
Many employers are tackling the skills shortage within aged care by starting their own graduate programs and recruiting graduate nurses. They are also attracting nurses from the acute sector by focusing on selling the work/life balance and Monday to Friday work on offer within aged care.
We are seeing more interstate movement. At Hays Healthcare our nationwide coverage allows us to facilitate this movement. We are also receiving increased interest from New Zealanders.
The coming quarter
Over the first three months of 2012 we expect to see rising demand for Aged Care Nurses and staff to implement physiotherapy services in aged care facilities in order to increase funding opportunities. There will also be increased vacancies within the mining industry for healthcare professionals.
January is a busy time of year for permanent recruitment since employers hope to secure staff for the year ahead. The temporary market will remain strong with holiday cover needed over summer.
Employer trends
Employers are in need of more highly skilled candidates, especially at a management level. Due to the skills shortage, employers are working closely with agencies to increase the pool of applicants. More employers are open to offering relocation packages to attract high calibre candidates from interstate and overseas. Employers in Western Australia are offering to fly applicants over for an interview in order to meet them face-to-face.
Candidate trends
We are experiencing increased interest from candidates seeking work in the mining sector due to the high salaries on offer. For the remainder of the market, the decrease in candidate levels experienced towards the end of last year will abate by mid January. However while we will see an increase in newly qualified candidates, senior candidates will remain in short supply.
