Healthcare Online Job Postings Rise in August

Online advertised vacancies for healthcare practitioners and technical occupations increased by 26,300 in August, breaking two consecutive months of declines, The Conference Board reported.

Among the top 10 occupation groups in the overall economy with the largest number of online advertised vacancies, healthcare practitioners and technical occupations posted the only increases in August.

The highly skilled health occupations posted 513,700 online job ads for the month and made up some ground lost from July's decrease of 61,200 postings. However, demand for healthcare practitioners and technicians dropped by 98,800 job postings since January, according to The Conference Board Help Wanted Online report.

The board's Help Wanted Online Data Series tracks more than 1,000 online job boards across the United States.

August job posting gains were reported for registered nurses, speech-language pathologists, licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, family and general practitioners, and occupational therapists. For those occupations, there were more than two jobs available for every job seeker, with an average hourly wage of $34.27. 

Healthcare support positions fell by 500 listings to 116,000 in August. There were 2.6 healthcare support job seekers for every job opening, and the positions paid – on average -- $12.94 an hour, The Conference Board reported.