SF Bay Area Labor Market Pulse
2009 RN Fall Brief
Vacancy Index & Recruitment Activity Indicators
Q3-September 2009
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.
Q3 Update: SF Bay Area RN Vacancies Now at Year-Low
• RN recruitment activity, as measured by the Labor Market Pulse® Vacancy Index, dropped again during Q3 2009, registering 2.2%, down from 2.4% in Q2
• Of the facilities tracked, 3 Kaiser facilities (Vallejo, Oakland and South San Francisco) 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 3 quarters.
• 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 base period is a duration of 6 weeks, ending October 28, 2008