Where Do the Jobs Go?
The good news is that there are still jobs out there, the bad news is that the overall number of job openings has decreased. Those of us in healthcare have always had certain smugness about our profession, after all, "There will always be sick people," we like to say.
So how it is that employment can decrease? It seems counterintuitive since the number of patients certainly has not seemed to decrease. I mean, someone has to take care of them, right?
So where DO the jobs go? Well, it's sort of like asking that old question we have here in the north about where the "white" goes when the snow melts. (Yes, we are weather obsessed up here, thanks for asking). The answer is not that it disappears, but rather that it changes forms. The same holds true for jobs.
When the economy falters and unemployment goes up, people get nervous. Part-time workers look to increase their hours. This fills some employment needs in a win-win situation for both parties. Employers get their hours filled without hiring new personnel, and employees increase their income.
This scenario is most evident in the temporary or locums market. A job that might have been sent off to a recruiter to find a temporary employee is filled internally by folks looking to pick up more income. This is an across-the-board phenomenon -- I am told by fellow recruiters that travel nursing is down almost 50% as well.
Nervousness about the economy and the future is also causing some NPs to delay or rethink retirement. People who a year ago may have felt ready to retire are feeling much less secure about their finances after seeing the bottom drop out of their 401K over the last few months. Not only are they not retiring, but they are also not cutting back hours in preparation for retirement. It's human nature to delay changes when faced with the unknown. Another trend is NPs coming OUT of retirement.
If that is an idea you are kicking around, please don't miss my next blog post.