One-in-four healthcare workers are not "feeling so good" about their jobs and plan to make an appointment with a new position in 2006, according to a recent CareerBuilder.com survey. Increased workload and the desire for better compensation and career advancement opportunities were cited as the leading factors motivating job changes in healthcare in the New Year. The survey, "Job Forecast 2006 - Healthcare," was conducted from November 15 to December 6, 2005.

As the healthcare industry struggles with a shortage of qualified staff, 68 percent of healthcare workers say their workloads have increased over the last six months. Two-thirds say their workloads have become too heavy, causing increased stress at work and home. Thirty-six percent report difficulty balancing professional and personal commitments.

Healthcare workers are also expressing concern over the chance to advance in their careers. One-in-four feel they were overlooked for a promotion in 2005, a sharp increase from the one-in-ten who felt overlooked in 2004. Thirty percent of workers say they are dissatisfied with the lack of career advancement opportunities offered by their current employers, while 29 percent feel their jobs do not provide sufficient learning and professional development.

While compensation levels have improved in 2005, healthcare workers are still voicing discontent with their paychecks. Although 70 percent of healthcare workers report receiving a raise in 2005, 50 percent believe they are not fairly compensated for the effort put forth on the job.

"The healthcare industry added over 270,000 jobs in 2006," said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder.com. "Job growth is expected to continue for the healthcare sector in 2006, driving an extraordinary labor demand. As a result, the search for qualified workers is becoming increasingly competitive with the shortage of registered nurses, physical and respiratory therapists, radiology technicians and other positions."

CareerBuilder.com sees more than 7.5 million job searches in healthcare each month and offers healthcare organizations multiple touch points to connect with potential employees. CareerBuilder.com powers the online career sites for more than 800 partners including MSN, America Online, American Hospital Association, American Society for Healthcare HR, the National Organization of Nurse Executives, Modern Healthcare and more.

Survey Methodology

The new CareerBuilder.com survey, "Job Forecast 2006 - Healthcare," was conducted from November 15 to December 6, 2005. Methodology used to collect survey responses totalling more than 188 healthcare workers for this study involved selecting a random sample of comScore Networks panel members. These Web Panel members were approached via an e-mail invitation, which asked them to participate in a short online survey. The results of this survey are statistically accurate to within +/- 7.14 percentage points (19 times out of 20).

About CareerBuilder.com

CareerBuilder.com is the nation's largest online job site with more than 20 million unique visitors and over 1 million jobs. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. , Tribune Company , and Knight Ridder, Inc. , the company offers a vast online and print network to help job seekers connect with employers. CareerBuilder.com powers the career centers for more than 800 partners that reach national, local, industry and niche audiences. These include more than 170 newspapers and leading portals such as America Online and MSN. More than 50,000 of the nation's top employers take advantage of CareerBuilder.com's easy job postings, 14 million-plus resumes, Diversity Channel and more. Millions of job seekers visit the site every month to search for opportunities by industry, location, company and job type, sign up for automatic email job alerts, and get advice on job hunting and career management. For more information about CareerBuilder.com products and services, visit http://www.careerbuilder.com/ .

  Media Contact:
  Michael Erwin
  773-527-3637
  Michael.Erwin@CareerBuilder.com

SOURCE: CareerBuilder.com