According to a recent Staffing Industry Analysts article and as we have personally experienced in our industry, COVID-19 has driven disparity in healthcare staffing demand. Read an excerpt from the article below to learn more about how COVID-19 was both the most noted driver of staffing demand and the most noted constraint on demand, according to the survey.
"Before this year’s pandemic, the term 'talent shortage' was ubiquitous, applying to most occupations within healthcare staffing. However, with spikes in demand to treat Covid-19 patients, alongside reduced non-Covid care, we are seeing a temporary bifurcation in healthcare staffing that may be unprecedented.
In nurse staffing, Covid-19 created a surge in demand for nurses with ICU experience. At the same time, some experienced OR and ER nurses found themselves struggling to find work for the first time in their careers. In SIA’s most recent health staffing benchmarking survey, revenue from temporary staffing of respiratory therapists rose 79% (driven by a 43% increase in hours and 25% increase in the average bill rate) from the first half of 2019 to the first half of 2020. On the other hand, revenue from temporary staffing of physical and occupational therapists declined by 29% and 41%, respectively, over that period.
Though most of the effects of the pandemic should be as temporary as the pandemic itself, it does raise the question of how many people will leave these jobs before the pandemic abates, creating shortages as demand for some of these roles returns. The skills demanded may be quite fluid for some time, and the flexibility staffing firms offer may be especially needed in terms of particular skills as well as overall volume levels."
Click here to review the original article on the SIA Staffing Stream
