Industry Spotlights

If you want to attract the attention of candidates in the healthcare and medical industry, consider how you can help improve their work-life balance. This is their number one priority when it comes to making their next career move.

Work-life balance is the key driver of attraction for 15.1% candidates in the industry and one in four respondents say they would be delighted if an employer offered on-site childcare facilities. 

Salary and compensation comes in at number two (13.4%) and while money is important, opportunities for salary sacrificing, a clothing allowance, a company car or car allowance all stand out when it comes to drivers of attraction.

While job security ranked number four in 2012, it has now moved up one place to number three on the list of key drivers (11.8%). Career opportunities slipped one spot to fourth, however it is almost equal with job security with 11.7% of respondents ranking it as the most important factor. 

“Candidates are interviewing us as much as we are interviewing them. As a WGEA Employer of Choice for Gender Equality, Mercy Health’s ability to provide flexibility that supports work life balance sets us apart from our competitors. In many respects it is business critical that we prioritise this for our current and future workforce.” – Kate McCormack, Group Executive Director People, Learning & Culture, Mercy Health

This slight change in order reflects that job security in healthcare and medical has remained stable over the past five years while career development as a driver has declined in importance.

On top of these findings, our research also shows that despite candidates in this industry being highly qualified (nine in 10 have a tertiary qualification compared to eight in 10 of the total sample group) they are likely lower paid – one in two earn $51,999 or below compared to one in three of the total.  Candidates in the healthcare and medical industry are also more likely than the total sample group to be living regionally (30% versus 23% of the total). 

Workers aged 35 to 44 years are significantly underrepresented (22% vs. 27% total). This may be because there are so many more females than males working in the industry and women in this age bracket tend to take on primary carer duties. This may also mean that many have not achieved their desired work-life balance.

While money is important, it sits below work-life balance for candidates when it comes to their employment decisions. Some companies may be in the box seat to help employees get this balance just right. 

About this research: The data points referred to on this page are drawn from the SEEK Laws of Attraction survey. For more information about the SEEK Laws of Attraction survey and the terms and conditions governing the use of this data, click here.