What happened to all the amazing healthcare candidates?

The UAE spent around $15.5 billion on healthcare in 2019, and the sector is growing at around 10% per year. Whether you’re involved in pharmaceuticals, healthcare devices, or medical innovation, the demand for healthcare remains strong. Unfortunately, the number of candidates available to help healthcare companies grow is dropping.

Talent shortages in healthcare aren’t a new concept. For years, employers have struggled to find and retain the best employees for their teams. However, since the pandemic, the shortage has grown increasingly evident, and the available candidates are more stringent about the employers they choose to work with.

How the Healthcare Hiring Landscape Has Changed

The changes to healthcare hiring over the last couple of years have been astronomical.

We’re now living in an environment where many medical professionals are working remotely, with flexible schedules and access to employment worldwide. In this space, companies need to be willing to compete with a wider range of potential employers around the globe when trying to access the best talent. The competition is bigger than ever.

At the same time, pharma, healthcare, and medical candidates have changing expectations about the kind of employment experience they want. While staff still want access to the right remuneration, they’re also looking for benefits like:

• Flexible schedules and hybrid working strategies
• Better support for mental and physical wellbeing
• Improved company cultures built around innovation

How Do Employers Adapt to the Changing Market?

In a market where candidates hold the power, employers need a plan for how they’re going to attract the best talent to their teams. In the health environment, this begins with adapting your mindset to suit the new space. Ask yourself which parts of your business may need to change to address the needs of a changing hiring space:

• What kind of working models do you offer? Are you already investing in hybrid work and remote work opportunities? If not, what do you need to do to make your employment options more flexible for people who won’t follow a traditional schedule? If remote working isn’t an option for your employees, what alternative benefits can you offer?
• Is your employer brand appealing enough? As health companies begin to compete globally with other companies for talent, branding is growing increasingly important. Ask yourself what your current online presence says about your business and what it’s like to work with you. Are you showcasing a commitment to diversity and inclusion? Are you innovative enough to capture the attention of cutting-edge candidates?
• How does your company culture look? During the pandemic, health candidates became more discerning about the kind of companies they were willing to work with. Today’s talent won’t work for a brand that doesn’t share their values and vision. With this in mind, how do you build a culture that attracts the kind of skillsets you need?

Employee Retention Will be Just as Crucial as Recruiting

One part of the shifting healthcare recruitment market companies will need to be aware of is that it’s becoming increasingly easy for employees to move into new positions when they’re not happy with their current role. Thanks to global employment opportunities, medical and pharma professionals have endless back-up roles and positions waiting for them if they decide to leave your business. This means companies need to work harder on retention.

Following the pandemic, healthcare candidates will be more likely to stick with brands capable of showing empathy, caring, and support. If you can prove to your candidates that you have their best interests at heart, they’ll be more likely to remain loyal to your organisation.

Consider the opportunities you offer employees today. Are you flexible about allowing your team members to choose what kind of projects they work on and shift their schedules when necessary? Do you offer training and development opportunities so people can build their skills over time? What kind of motivation can you offer through mentoring and leadership?

Be clear and consistent in proving how much you care about your employees.

Working with a Recruitment Team will Be Vital to Your Success

Having a professional recruitment agency on hand to help you reach and retain the right talent is always valuable for today’s business leaders. However, it’s most important now when the talent shortage is more significant than ever. A specialist recruiter has spent years building relationships with individuals who can make a real difference to healthcare teams.

Recruiting professionals know where to look for the right candidates, and they can help you position your business in a way most likely to attract the right applications. Here at Kinetic, we’ve been in the market for years, building relationships with health experts.

A specialist recruiter will guide you through using various techniques to build your team, from accessing gamification in hiring to get candidates excited about your business to learn how to onboard your new employees through video and digital channels.

What Next?

If you are looking for your next health care role or want to build your talent pipeline and want our help, contact our team on +971 (0)4 442 0921 or via email here to find out more about how our expert team of recruiters can enhance your medical device business starting today.

Thanks,

Rudy

How Kinetic Can Help

Kinetic sources professionals locally and internationally for leading multinational, regional, and local Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices companies, including Consumer Healthcare organisations.

If you need help sourcing the best candidates for your pharmaceutical or medical device organisation who will help drive your business forward this year, contact us today.