Healthcare professionals are in high demand. From staffing shortages to the need for new skillsets, the pressure for healthcare employers to secure the best talent only continues to grow. How can healthcare recruiters stay ahead?
Let’s unpack five healthcare recruiting trends for 2025, and practical ways to overcome the challenges they bring.
Trend 1: Demand for healthcare talent keeps rising
The challenge: A shortage of qualified healthcare workers
The shortage of healthcare professionals isn’t new. The bad thing is? It’s not showing any signs of improving. As the pool for talent gets smaller, it means greater demand and fewer quality candidates.
The solution: Proactively build talent pipelines
To overcome the shrinking talent pool, organisationsorganizations must find fresh ways to capture the attention of healthcare workers. This means new recruitment tactics, new channels, and new ways to leverage their existing networks. In short? Hiring needs to be smarter. Savvy teams are using strategies like talent pipelining: an approach that allows you to build relationships with qualified candidates before positions open. That way, when roles arise, you’re able to fill them faster.
Tech tip: PageUp’s recruitment CRM for healthcare can help build a talent pipeline that’s warm, qualified and engaged for faster hiring.
Trend 2: More industries are competing for healthcare talent
The challenge: Non-traditional employers are drawing healthcare professionals away
The rise of healthcare tech and other non-traditional sectors has ignited greater competition. From medical device sales to pharmaceutical marketing, these industries are enticing healthcare professionals away by offering flexible work arrangements and better work-life balance. Causing traditional healthcare roles to lose some of their appeal.
The solution: Set your workplace apart with employer branding
In this battle, a powerful employer brand is your biggest weapon. You need to highlight what makes your organisationorganization great, beyond the paycheck. What do you offer that employees value?
According to LinkedIn data, healthcare professionals are 14% more likely to prioritiseprioritize having supportive managers, and 8% more likely to look for flexible work arrangements and job security than professionals in other industries. Alongside a culture that emphasisesemphasizes mental health and wellbeing, these factors are key to employee engagement and attracting new talent.
Tech tip: Your career site is your brand’s storefront, make it shine! With PageUp’s career site builder, you can easily update and refresh your content as your employer brand evolves – no coding required.
Trend 3: Retention matters more than ever
The challenge: Burnout and high turnover
Workforce burnout remains a major issue, leading to high turnover and staffing gaps. Healthcare organisationsorganizations need to place an equal balance on hiring and retention.
The solution: Prioritise employee engagement
Supportive workplaces, career growth, and well-being initiatives help keep employees motivated and reduce turnover. The best part? An engaged workforce has a ripple effect on your recruitment efforts. Healthcare professionals are also more likely to prioritiseprioritize workplaces with inspired and engaged team members.
Tech tip: PageUp’s employee ambassador tools make it easy to amplify employee voices and showcase your authentic culture to attract the right talent.
Trend 4: A focus on technology-driven recruitment
The challenge: Increased time-to-fill means a need for speed
According to RogueHire’s 2024 Healthcare Benchmark Study, 34% of healthcare positions take five months to fill. Delays add stress to existing staff and impact patient care. Reducing time-to-fill is critical, as ongoing vacancies hurt the employees.
The solution: Proactive hiring with smart technology
Switch gears from reactive to proactive hiring. Enter: ‘smart’ technology. Tools like AI and candidate relationship management (CRM) systems streamline the entire recruitment process. By embracing tech, healthcare employers can build a dynamic and adaptive hiring strategy, leading to faster hires and better patient support.
Tech Tip: PageUp’s AI-powered recruitment tools optimiseoptimize job ads, segment talent, and run personalisedpersonalized campaigns to speed up hiring.
Trend 5: Budgets are tight, but hiring must go on
The challenge: Hiring budgets are stretched thin
Healthcare organisationsorganizations have seen cost increases across salaries, operating costs, and recruitment expenses. As inflation drives up prices, many organisationsorganizations are finding it difficult to prioritiseprioritize quality talent acquisition under strict resource limitations.
The solution: Focus on recruitment ROI
To combat these ever-rising costs, healthcare organisationsorganizations should invest in recruitment solutions that provide real, measurable ROI. Look for tools that help optimiseoptimize sourcing channels, improve candidate engagement, and automate repetitive tasks. Leading to smarter spending and better results.
Tech Tip: PageUp’s talent pipelining approach reduces sourcing costs by 70%, ensuring a steady flow of qualified candidates.
Bonus trend: Diversity and Inclusion remains a priority
Healthcare professionals increasingly seek inclusive workplaces, with 17% more likely to choose employers that value diversity. Ensure Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is a core pillar of your recruitment strategy. In 2025, box-ticking won’t cut it: employers must foster a genuine culture where all employees feel valued and included.
Shaping the future of healthcare recruitment
Hiring in healthcare is challenging, but the right strategies can turn obstacles into opportunities. To stay competitive in an increasingly complex job market, organisationsorganizations that embrace proactive hiring, employer branding, and smart technology will have the upper hand in attracting and retaining top talent.
Ready to elevate your healthcare recruitment strategy? Explore how PageUp can help you streamline healthcare hiring, or request a demo to see PageUp in action.
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