According to the mid-year 2015 report, 29 percent of healthcare workers believe the economy is getting stronger, and 36 percent believe there are more jobs available.

Although 66 percent of healthcare workers say they are confident in their ability to find a new job, only 32 percent say they are likely to look for new employment opportunities in the next 12 months.

According to recently released, the Randstad Healthcare Employee Confidence Index (ECI), the confidence among healthcare employees rose by 9.2 points to 64.8, up from 55.6 at year-end 2014. This survey was conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of Randstad Healthcare.

The Randstad Healthcare ECI mirrors strong job gains in the healthcare sector Healthcare led the way in job creation, adding 34,000 new positions last month and approximately 38,000 jobs monthly over the past 12 months. Hospitals gained nearly half (16,000) of the new jobs, while ambulatory care added 13,000 jobs.

“The fact that healthcare workers indicated the highest confidence levels we’ve ever recorded is a sign the job market for these professionals is providing more opportunities, and the sector is experiencing the rapid growth many economists expected,” said Abigail Tremble, president of Randstad Healthcare.

Having entered 2015 with historically lower-than-average unemployment rates for many healthcare occupations, so it’s no surprise the healthcare industry sees an increased hiring activity for many key positions.

Tremble continued, “In fact, according to Indeed.com, healthcare job postings increased 27 percent year-over-year from June 2014 to June 2015, and the Bureau of Labour Statistics indicates employment in healthcare has grown by an average of 38,000 new jobs per month over the past 12 months. The projected growth for the healthcare job market is quite high.”

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Key highlights from the Midyear-2015 survey are:

Healthcare workers are confident in employment prospects

Job security among healthcare employees remains high — in fact, 76 percent say it is unlikely they will lose their job over the next 12 months, and 66 percent say they are confident in their ability to find a new job.

Employees within healthcare industry are confident in employers

Sixty-four percent of employees say they are confident in the future of their current employer, with only 10 percent stating the opposite.

Workers confident in strength of the economy and availability of jobs

Twenty-nine percent say they believe the economy is getting stronger, and 36 say they believe there are more jobs available.

“Additionally, as Baby Boomers age, the Labour Department projects that by 2022 healthcare and social assistance will absorb nearly 20 percent of consumer spending, double the share of manufactured goods. As a result, the profession is expected to employ more than 21 million workers, 5 million more than we have today.”

These factors place added pressure on healthcare employers to maintain adequate staffing levels, and more facilities are partnering with flexible staffing firms to achieve their talent needs. The findings suggest an even greater opportunity for increased partnerships between healthcare systems and staffing firms.

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