Demand remains high for skilled nonclinical healthcare professionals as we move further into 2025. Because of the ongoing talent squeeze and other challenging hiring trends, employers must work harder to recruit and retain top talent for both permanent and contract roles if they want to meet their goals in the months ahead.
As a manager, knowing the most in-demand positions allows you to better compete for promising candidates while reinforcing your retention efforts for roles at greatest risk of turnover. Robert Half’s Demand for Skilled Talent report can help. It highlights the latest data from surveys of hiring managers and our analysis of thousands of job postings to help you make informed hiring and management decisions.
Here are some key takeaways from the report.
2025 In-Demand Healthcare Support Roles and Hiring Trends
What does the healthcare hiring market look like?
Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the unemployment rate for medical claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators fell from 3.7% in Q3 2024 to 0.5% during Q4 2024. Other nonclinical healthcare positions with unemployment rates trending well below the 4.1% national average in December, included health services managers (0.9%) and medical administrative assistants (2.4%).
What are the major hiring trends in the nonclinical healthcare hiring market?
More administrative and technical support staff are needed to manage patient care operations outside of direct clinical work. This demand for nonclinical healthcare professionals is due to expanding healthcare services, particularly the rapid increase in telehealth and digital health platforms.
As a result, organizations seek professionals who combine healthcare support knowledge with technical expertise. While these roles require increasingly complex abilities, particularly in healthcare software systems and AI tools, compensation packages haven't kept pace with market demand. This gap between required expertise and salaries makes hiring even more challenging.
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Managers planning increased recruitment in the first half of 2025
To achieve critical business objectives, most nonclinical healthcare leaders intend to expand their workforce or sustain current staffing levels in the coming months. 70% of managers in the profession plan to look for candidates for new permanent roles, while 27% are recruiting solely to fill vacant permanent positions.
However, 97% of leaders report difficulties securing qualified professionals in today's employment landscape. Partially as a result, 75% said they’re increasing their use of contract talent.
How to compete for nonclinical healthcare talent in a challenging hiring environment
In today’s competitive hiring market, attracting and retaining top nonclinical healthcare professionals requires a mix of strategies.
Salaries that meet or beat market rates are vital, but workplace flexibility, including remote and hybrid options, is prioritized by many candidates. In the healthcare support field, 80% of new job postings have recently been for on-site positions, 9% for hybrid and 11% for fully remote roles. Policies promoting other ways to achieve work-life balance such as personal wellness days and parental leave can also set you apart from other companies seeking the same talent.
The opportunity to work with emerging technologies can be a magnet for today's professionals—and another way to compete for skilled talent. In particular, candidates see working with AI as an opportunity to develop highly sought skills that can enhance their career trajectory.
And don’t forget how important it is to streamline your hiring processes. Delays often result in losing top candidates to your competitors.
Beyond these internal measures, partnering with specialized recruiters can help you identify and access high-potential candidates who may not actively be job hunting.
Want to know more about hiring trends? Take a look at the Demand for Skilled Talent report.
About the Demand for Skilled Talent report
The Demand for Skilled Talent report by Robert Half is an authoritative source providing essential insights into employment trends. This report has offered a deep dive into the U.S. hiring landscape for over a decade, spotlighting challenges and strategies to attract and retain talent. It explores what employees seek in their careers, identifies common recruitment errors and suggests solutions. The report spans finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, administrative and customer support, and human resources, proving crucial for business leaders and managers.