Healthcare organizations turn to recruiters, search firms to hire IT staff

The high demand for talented health IT workers is prompting healthcare organizations to turn to recruiters and executive search firms to handle their staffing needs, according to a workplace study by HIMSS Analytics.

Healthcare employers use multiple approaches to recruit qualified IT professionals, according to the survey of 200 individuals representing healthcare providers. But respondents said they consider IT recruiters and executive search firms the most effective resources to leverage in meeting their hiring demands, according to HIMSS Analytics.

“The lack of local qualified health IT workers, whether real or not, is a very real concern for many. And in an industry in which recruiting workers away from other healthcare organizations is fairly common practice, IT recruiters and staffing agencies are clearly seen to be the most effective recruitment resource at a healthcare employer’s disposal,” said Lorren Pettit, vice president of research at HIMSS Analytics. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see the use of recruiters increase as a preferred recruitment resource as the demand for select IT professionals increases.”

The study identified clinical application support staff as the most sought-after position organizations anticipate hiring next year.

In other findings from the survey:

• More than 84 percent of respondents reported their organization hired at least one staff member in the past year, a finding consistent with the 2013 survey (86 percent).

• 82 percent of survey respondents planned to hire at least one full time employee in the next 12 months, a slight increase from 2013 (79 percent)

• While IT staff hiring is generally strong, the findings point to a 5 percent increase in staff layoffs between 2013 (8 percent) and 2014 (13 percent).

• Over two-thirds (70 percent) of respondents reported at least one area of anticipated outsourcing.

View the study here.