By Abby Lombardi on June 7, 2011 in Health Care, Health Care - XLV, Occupations, Staffing Industry.

Last Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced their Employment Situation Summary for May.  Although job growth was lower than expected, they did point out that 3 areas were up: Healthcare, Mining and Professional and Business Services.

The U.S. Healthcare sector has seen consistent job growth during both good and bad employment times.  Over the past 120 days, recruiting agencies and employers placed more than 75,000 new job ads for Occupational Therapists.  Representing the highest growth of any field within the Healthcare sector at 103%, this rapid increase in hiring demand is calling more attention to the already existing talent shortage at US healthcare organizations.

Hiring Demand for Occupational Therapists over the Past 4 Years

While some industries may be able to experience this kind of year-over-year growth and not result in hiring challenges, the healthcare industry is seeing a more noticeable shortage in the number of candidates for open positions. Current estimates show there are approximately 83,000 Occupational Therapists in the US, meaning there are 1.1 candidates for every new job posted over the past 120 days, according to the Hiring Scale^TM.  Since job growth in this field has shown no indication of slowing down, corporate recruiters and staffing agencies are finding themselves in the middle of a talent crisis and recruiting battle.

Some geographical areas will experience recruitment conditions that vary from the national average. The area with the best hiring condition is Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Here, the number of new jobs ads is relatively low and they should expect to see 16 candidates for every position advertised over the past 120 days. It will be relatively easier for recruiters to fill positions in this location than for many of their US counterparts.  However, Occupational Therapists seeking employment in Ann Arbor may find more competition for openings and have more difficulties in finding a new job.

Organizations Currently Hiring Occupational Therapists in Ann Arbor, MI

On the other hand, Lakeland, Florida currently sits in the one of the worst conditions across the U.S. for recruiting Occupational Therapists.  Here, organizations have placed 126 job ads over the past 120 days, but their talent pool consists of just 80 candidates.  Since there are not enough qualified Occupational Therapists in the local area, recruiters will likely need to advertise jobs for longer periods and invest more time in sourcing for openings.

Candidate Supply of Occupational Therapists in Lakeland, FL

An alternative for healthcare organizations in this area is to recruit from nearby Tampa, Florida. In Tampa, there is a much larger talent pool of 1,240 Occupational Therapists, and being just 45 minutes away, candidates that aren’t able to find employment within Tampa may be willing to commute to Lakeland.

Hiring Scales for Occupational Therapists in Lakeland, FL and Tampa, FL

Links to this article (2)

• June 7, 2011 - employment.peoplearticles.com
  Job Growth for Occupational Therapists and Healthcare Talent … | Employment
  
• July 5, 2011 - www.thecancergroup.org
  Jobs in the Medical Field are Growing | Live & Kicking
  

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