SF Bay Area Labor Market Pulse
2010 RN Fall 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 Fall Update: SF Bay Area RN Vacancies Remain Constant
• RN recruitment activity, as measured by the Labor Market Pulse® Vacancy Index, fell to its lowest point in two years of 1.7% during Q2 2010, but rebounded to 2.5% during Q3 of 2010.
• Of the facilities tracked, 3 Kaiser facilities (Oakland, Santa Rosa, and Vallejo) continued to register the highest number of vacancies.
• Full time positions as a percentage of all open positions have continued to decrease, down to 34% from last quarter’s 50%, while the percentage of per diem positions have continued to rise significantly (up to 34% this quarter vs 21% last quarter and 9% in Q1).
• 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