SF Bay Area Labor Market Pulse
2010 RN Winter Brief
Vacancy Index & Recruitment Activity Indicators
Hospital RN vacancy rates are a great indicator of RN shortages in the market and an individual facility’s ability to address labor challenges. However, vacancy rates are often not disclosed so it can be difficult to assess if certain areas or facilities are facing greater challenges than others. The Labor Market Pulse® Vacancy Index fills this knowledge gap in the market.
2010 Winter Update: SF Bay Area RN Vacancies Now at New Low
• RN recruitment activity, as measured by the Labor Market Pulse® Vacancy Index, dropped again during the beginning of 2010, registering 2.0%, down from 2.8 in Q4 2009.
• Of the facilities tracked, 3 Kaiser facilities (Vallejo, San Rafael, and Santa Rosa) continued to register the highest number of vacancies
• More than 2/3 of all current job postings are for full time positions, which has remained fairly consistent for the past 4 quarters now.
• The RN Job Posting Index captures the acceleration or decline of recruitment activity, regardless of changes in hospital bed size and FTE’s employed
• A value of more than 100 indicates intensifying recruitment activity, and a value of less than 100 indicates easing of recruitment activity
• The tracking period began in October 2008 with the inaugural 6-week base period ending October 28, 2008