Healthcare Job Applications Dip as Unrest in the Sector Grows

Data reveals applications and salaries down in 2022

The number of professionals applying for jobs in the healthcare sector fell consistently in November and December as unrest in the sector exacerbated skills shortages, with the situation set to worsen as pay also drops. That’s according to new research from the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo), the trade association for the recruitment sector. 

The data by Broadbean Technology, revealed that job applications fell 23% and 37% in November and December respectively as strikes continued to impact resources across the sector. With jobs increasing 23% month-on-month in November, the gap between supply and demand continued to increase as the year came to a close.

While pay is one of the core drivers of current strike action across the public sector, the statistics suggested average salaries across healthcare fell 2% throughout 2022. With the Cost-of-Living crisis hitting households, the lack of salary increases is likely to further impact the recruitment difficulties the NHS is facing.

Ann Swain, CEO of APSCo comments:
“The recruitment landscape in the healthcare sector has clearly been hit hard by the general unrest being reported. With strike action, the NHS reaching crisis point and workload pressures growing, the data shows significant uncertainty in healthcare hiring. The recruitment difficulties faced by hospitals and Trusts in recent years have clearly impacted hiring activity and applicant availability. The resourcing struggles in the sector won’t disappear anytime soon. And with pay appearing to decrease overall last year – at a time when salary-related strikes are ongoing – healthcare employers and recruiters are going to face continued difficulties in the year ahead.”