New research from online talent sourcing specialist, Talent.com, has revealed that the healthcare labour market has experienced a sharp shortage of candidates and will continue on this trajectory throughout the year as a result of both Covid-19 and Brexit.
The 2022: Adapting to the New Normal report – conducted in association with labour economist Morgan Raux – combines official statistics from the Office for National Statistics with data from Talent.com to give an overview of how the job market has been affected by Covid-19 and Brexit, how labour market tightness has increased in the last two years, and how it’s projected to keep evolving in 2022. The analysis of the UK’s labour market ‘tightness’ – which is calculated by the comparison of the jobs posted and the number of professionals available for work – highlights how the healthcare recruitment market has suffered from the effects of Covid-19 and Brexit.
The research revealed that, in 2021 alone, the market tightened by 50% for jobs in healthcare. This is a significant rise, especially when considered in relation to the already large increase that took place during the initial months of the pandemic. As this sector contains a mix of high and low-skilled jobs, Brexit has also undoubtedly had an effect, as has the pandemic burnout, which has resulted in a high number of resignations in the industry. As there is no quick solution to resolve these challenges, the report predicts that these trends will continue throughout 2022.
Noura Dadzie - VP Sales UK & International Markets at Talent.com comments:
“While the UK has experienced a tight labour market in the past, our latest data highlights just how much pressure the employment landscape has been put under since the pandemic and Brexit. The healthcare industry, in particular, has suffered. With rising vacancy levels and decreasing unemployment figures, talent pools have been squeezed significantly. What we’re seeing now is more pressure on hiring and recruitment teams which is only going to exacerbate the need to direct recruitment expenditure into the right channels that will ensure companies vacancies are seen by the right people.”
“Recruitment in healthcare certainly remains buoyant, showing no signs of slowing down and we predict that as we approach the second half of 2022, we are very likely to see a rise year over year in both job adverts and hires. Those that take a proactive hiring approach will stay ahead of the competition during these unprecedented circumstances.”