Readers Write: 10 Talent Trends to Watch in 2015

10 Talent Trends to Watch in 2015
By Anthony Caponi

The entirety of my career has been spent in the healthcare staffing industry. Consequently, I have been at both ends of the spectrum. There were tough times in 2008 and 2009 as the nation’s economic recession spilled into healthcare hiring. Then, as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, numerous jobs were created with the promotion of EHR adoption.

The healthcare IT industry is absolutely on the rise. However, we will also see some obstacles, including a talent and skills gap. Below is a list of 10 increasing trends for 2015.

Increasing Mergers and Acquisitions

Healthcare reform is becoming a powerful catalyst for the consolidation and integration trend in the hospital industry. A study conducted by Kaufman Hall found that hospital mergers and acquisitions increased 10 percent in the first quarter of 2014 compared with the same time frame the previous year. Overall, studies indicate a continuation of several trends, including increasing numbers of acquisitions. These mergers and acquisitions that are taking place are resulting in a number of highly qualified CIOs in the job market.

Big Data Employment Boom

The data economy needs dedicated people — 4.4 million of them by 2015 in the IT field alone, according to a Gartner Research analysis. In the U.S., a McKinsey & Company report projects a shortfall of between 140,000 and 190,000 big data professionals with deep analytical skills by 2018. Additionally, the impact of big data on employment goes far deeper than the deep analytics and IT fields. Companies need professionals at all levels that are not necessarily educated in deep analytics but are nevertheless big data-savvy.

New C-Level Positions

The chief data officer (CDO) is a new position coming into play in the healthcare IT industry. Hospitals are using the role to try to "leverage data as a strategic institutional asset … It’s about how to transform data into information, how to transform information into better-informed decisions," according to Seattle Children’s Hospital CDO Eugene Kolker.

Another position that is becoming more popular in the healthcare IT space is the chief nursing information officer (CNIO). According to a Modern Healthcare report, about 30 percent of hospitals and health systems now have a CNIO and that number is expected to grow. CNIOs are helping hospitals implement their EHRs and other healthcare IT projects because of their expertise in how nurses use patient data.

Growing Job Market

The healthcare sector is poised to add 5 million jobs by 2020, according to a report by AMN Healthcare. The increased use of technology for healthcare applications is the primary factor for the growing job market. Healthcare job growth averaged 26,000 positions per month between March and September of this year, jumping significantly in the second quarter and continuing into the third quarter, according to the Altarum Institute’s Center for Sustainable Health Spending.

More Interim Executives

The number of interim executives is growing and the demand for interim talent has become apparent. This trend will become a growing part of the employment movement, especially in healthcare IT-related roles like CIOs and CMIOs. With the expected sizable number of baby boomers retiring, combined with the number of independent delivery networks and hospitals in the U.S., it’s easy to see that the demand will grow. This means that there will likely be a shortage of experienced healthcare executives in 2015, which means demand for interim healthcare executives will only grow over time.

Talent Shortage

As baby boomers retire in record numbers, the healthcare IT industry is feeling the pain of a talent shortage. In an article in InformationWeek.com, Asal Naraghi, director of talent acquisition for healthcare services company Best Doctors, says she “absolutely” sees an IT talent shortage. Tracy Cashman, senior VP and partner in the IT search practice of WinterWyman, also says she sees a genuine talent shortage. "There are more jobs than people who are skilled," she says. While she’s starting to see an uptick in engineering graduates, "we’ve been feeling this since the [dot-com] bubble burst," Cashman says, when college students were worried that all IT jobs would move to India. "And we’re still fighting that," she says.

Universities Offering Healthcare IT Degrees

Cloud computing, big data, mobile technology — three of the biggest trends in IT are changing the way the healthcare industry deals with information and creating a big need for trained healthcare IT professionals. Thus, colleges and universities have started offering healthcare IT as a major, where students learn what it takes to function as a fully capable software developer in any professional environment, but specifically tailor their skills to the rapidly expanding healthcare IT field.

Specialists in Demand

Today’s IT shops don’t just want experience, they want deep experience. “IT organizations are under intense pressure to deliver projects faster than before — and that need for speed necessarily influences IT hiring. The IT generalists, and even some topic generalists, such as infrastructure managers, have found their roles left by the side of the road, as project leaders hire for deep experience in specific niches, such as cloud security, DevOps, and data analysis and architecture.”

McGraw-Hill Education CIO David Wright says, "More and more, the hands-on coders, we’re looking for people who are just really deep in whatever discipline we’re trying to hire." And he isn’t the only one advocating for specialization; Asal Naraghi, Director of Talent Acquisition for healthcare services company Best Doctors, also says, “The trend has gone into more specialized skill sets."

Video Interviewing and Skype More Popular

The use of remote yet face-to-face interactions such as video interviewing and Skype is on the rise. Advanced technology is giving people a way to present themselves with depth and personality to hiring managers and recruiters. In addition, new hires meet the team before they even step in the office.

Interview Process Becoming Lengthier

The interview and hiring process have become more elongated in recent years, a trend that we can expect to see more of in 2015. According to Anne Kreamer, a journalist who specializes in business and work/life balance, “Data compiled for the New York Times by Glassdoor found that an average interview process in 2013 lasted 23 days versus an average of 12 days in 2009. And time-consuming assignments and auditions for candidates … are the new normal.”

Anthony Caponi is vice president of healthcare IT of Direct Consulting Associates of Solon, OH.