Health care employers trying to attract grade-A talent are going to have to come up with some serious, John Mayer-style game (I mean, does that guy get around or what?) in order to do so. As CareerBuilder’s 2013 hiring forecast indicates, health care workers are among the most in demand right now.

According to annual nationwide survey, health care continues to be one of the hottest areas for hiring in the U.S. – and one of the toughest in which to recruit in-demand talent. Consider the following findings:

• 22 percent of health care hiring managers plan to add full-time, permanent health care employees this year (up from 19 percent in 2012).
• 23 percent of health care employers have open positions for which they can’t find qualified talent.
• 36 percent of health care employers plan to hire temporary and contract workers– up from 34 percent last year – to help meet increased market demands.
• Among these employers, 37 percent plan to turn some temporary workers into full-time, permanent employees over the next 12 months.

“Our research suggests that heath care hiring will accelerate in 2013, with heightened competition for high skill labor and improved compensation trends,” said Jason Lovelace, president of CareerBuilder’s health care group, in a statement for the press release.

2013 Health Care Hiring Trends
As is the case for many other industries, the demand for skilled positions in health care is growing much faster than the supply. Hospitals and other health care organizations should keep a, ahem, pulse on the following trends as they address their staffing needs this year.

• Tapping Into Other Organizations for New Blood: Many employers are attempting to recruit employees right out of other organizations. One in five health care workers (20 percent) reported they have been approached to work for another employer in the last year when they didn’t apply for a position with that organization. This finding indicates that employers may need to work a little harder to retain top talent this year.
• Cash: The Rx for Turnover: Money will certainly play a role in those retention efforts, as 76 percent of health care employers report plans to increase compensation for existing employees – up from 65 percent last year – while 53 percent will offer higher starting salaries for new health care employees – up significantly from 34 percent last year.
• Re-Skilling=The Cure for the Unqualified Candidate: Rather than waiting around for the right candidates, more employers are taking measures to “re-skill” workers themselves. According to the survey, two thirds of health care employers plan to train people who don’t have experience in health care and hire them for positions within their organizations, up from 33 percent last year.
• More TLC: Employers aren’t just relying on salary increases to retain employees: 45 percent of employers say they plan to increase such initiatives as employee recognition, flexible schedules and employee surveys, which will help them gauge what’s most important to them.

Are you in the health care industry and looking for qualified workers? What challenges are you encountering in your retention and recruiting efforts?