A shortage of qualified workers continues to plague the skilled nursing sector, and recent data from job board Monster backs it up.
According to a new report from the Weston, Mass.-based online classifieds company, job openings for registered nurses were the most popular type of position posted during the first half of 2018.
The health care industry is the largest job-creating sector in the U.S., and with an aging baby boomer population, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expects to see 15% growth in registered nurse jobs through 2026.
Three of the top companies hiring on Monster are involved in long-term care as well: Brookdale Senior Living (NYSE: BKD) was the top employer posting jobs during the first half of 2018, with Kindred Healthcare and Kindred at Home also listed in the top 20.
The shortage of nurses has vexed the skilled nursing industry amid sky-high employment and increasing demand for short- and long-term care services, with certain states like Colorado using community colleges to offer bachelor’s of science in nursing degrees in an attempt to boost the ranks of qualified candidates. Still, it remains a job-seeker’s market: About half of the open long-term care positions in the state of Wisconsin don’t even receive a single application, according to a trade group in that state, while Texas providers report turnover rates of more than 90% for certain caregiver jobs.
And the problem will likely only get worse before it gets better. By the year 2030, long-term care providers in the U.S. will need 73% more registered nurses than the current count just to meet the increased demand from aging baby boomers, the national trade group LeadingAge reported last year, with 70% more licensed practical nurses.
View a copy of the most in-demand jobs here.
Written by John Yedinak