Interactive Insights

Recruiting Nursing Assistants

A Deep Dive into Talent Sourcing and Recruitment Advertising Benchmarks

Nursing Assistants

A Bit About These Talented Professionals

In the vast landscape of the healthcare industry, with a staggering 18 million workers nationwide, certified nursing assistants (CNAs) hold a noteworthy place, representing nearly 8% of the healthcare workforce. Working hand in (latex)glove with other healthcare professionals, CNAs perform a host of patient-related duties in a variety of settings, from nursing homes to rehab centers to private residences, they do it all!

As we well know, health-related occupations in the US are growing, growing, growing! The only hitch is supply… Given the variety of factors affecting the number of available healthcare workers – retirement, limited educational facilities, burnout, etc. – they are in high demand and CNAs are right there in the mix, with a projected 5% growth in overall employment through 2031. Between occupational drain and job creation, this means a healthy 220,200 openings per year!

So, ready to round up more great-fit CNA candidates for your funnel, at the most optimal cost?

It’s time to let Joveo’s data do the talking!

0%
Year-on-year decrease in CPC
0%
Year-on-year change in median advertised salary
0%
Year-on-year decrease in unique postings

CPA App-lause or App-loss

Yes, CPAsCost per application (CPA) measures the cost incurred by an organization to receive one job application from a potential candidate. depend on CPCs. But there are a bunch of other factors, too! You can’t control everything (ex. market conditions), but you can work on shaping that ideal apply experience.

When you evaluate, it’s important to consider a few key factors: candidate experience, employer brand, application quality, recruiter time and effort, and CPA. While easy apply CPAs are low, recruiters may not get all the info they need and apps from unqualified or low-intent candidates may be stacked sky high! On the other hand, a lengthy ATS-based process can lead to high applicant drop-off, poor CX, and a high CPA.

Recommendation: Evaluate your application process to figure out what info your team needs – whether it’s easy apply, an optimized ATS-based app, or something more complex, your recruitment strategy should be data-driven!

Source: Joveo and Lightcast Research

CPC, Ya You Know Me!

Nationally, we are seeing an average CPCCost per click (CPC) is the cost incurred by an organization for each click on a job advertisement or recruitment campaign. of $0.95… Washington DC stands out as the frontrunner for the most cost-effective state to secure a click at a mere $0.12. Conversely, Iowa finds itself at the opposite end of the spectrum with the highest CPC at $2.46.

Recommendation: Make sure you get the most bang for your buck! Leverage this data, understand seasonality and macro trends, and stay nimble. Track and compare performance across states and do a little A/B testingA/B testing refers to a randomized experimentation process. Two or more versions of a variable (job title, job description, etc.) are shown to different segments of users at the same time. The goal is to determine which version leaves the maximum impact and drives conversions. to optimize those CPCs and conversion rates.

Source: Joveo and Lightcast Research

Demand-Supply: The Golden Ratio

The ratio of hires to postings hovers very close to 3.64 over the months. What does this mean, you ask? Well, approximately four hires are made for every one posting.

Recommendation: If your ratio is less than 3.64, we strongly recommend an old fashioned recruitment marketing audit. And you know what that means: kicking the tires on everything from job titles, to descriptions, to compensation and benefits. Oh, and how could we neglect reach, ad dollars, and return on ad spend per source!

Source: Joveo and Lightcast Research

Mind Your Demand-Supply Gap… by State

When it comes to sourcing at a state level, are you wondering how aggressive you need to be in a given locale? Well, this chart will come in mighty handy, giving insight into the demand-supply gap The demand-supply gap is calculated by dividing the number of unique job postings by total employment in the occupation. The higher the number, the greater the demand-supply gap, compared with the national average. for CNAs by state.

For example, if you’re looking to hire CNAs in Arkansas, Florida, or West Virginia, you shouldn’t have a problem. In fact, these three top our list of easiest to fill states when we take a look at demand and supply of nursing assistants. On the other end of the spectrum, filling your hiring funnel in New Hampshire, Alaska, and New Mexico is going to be a challenge, given the low supply and high demand!

Recommendation: If the color of your state is in the deep gold, it may indicate that you need to jazz up your job content, A/B test titles A/B testing refers to a randomized experimentation process. Two or more versions of a variable (web page, job description, etc.) are shown to different segments of users at the same time. The goal is to determine which version leaves the maximum impact and drives conversions., expand across locationsGeographic optimizations expand the targeted location to include surrounding communities. This is an easy way to extend your reach and reduce CPAs by sourcing from less competitive markets., and spend considerably more on recruitment marketing and job advertising to attract more great-fit candidates.

Source: Joveo and Lightcast Research

Who Posts the Most?

The competition isn’t shy when it comes to recruiting CNAs, with an average posting intensity Posting intensity is the ratio of total job postings to unique job postings. A higher posting intensity means employers are sending copies of their reqs to several job sites or other locations on the web, to reach a bigger talent pool. of 3:1 across the occupation, nationally. Top employers like ProMedica, Good Samaritan Society, and Sunrise Senior Living distribute their jobs with the same intensity, while others like Amazon (10:1) and Life Care Centers of America (8:1) go a step further, beating the national occupational average. But ABS Kids tops them all with a posting intensity of 11:1!

Recommendation: Be sure to get your posts out to all the right job boards and on social media. We may be a little biased, but one great way to automatically post jobs across the best-performing sites is to use programmatic job advertising – plus you can take advantage of job title Job title expansion means leveraging alternative job titles, using commonly searched terms. These are published as new listings in addition to the original post. and geographic Geographic optimizations expand the targeted location to include surrounding communities. This is an easy way to extend your reach and reduce CPAs by sourcing from less competitive markets. expansions.

Source: Joveo and Lightcast Research

Show Candidates the Money!

While the national median salary is approximately $36,000, advertised median salaries over a 12-month period hit $41,500, as of December of 2023. This delta (15%) is largely due to two reasons. For one, employers with higher salaries are more likely to advertise them. Also, some employers tend to only advertise the upper end of their salary brackets. This definitely gives them a competitive advantage when it comes to sourcing.

Recommendation: If you offer a great salary, don’t forget to call it out in your job description, even if your state doesn’t legally require it. Currently, 38% of unique job postings for nursing assistants include wage info. This will help you attract more candidates, lower CPCs, and fill your funnel faster.

Source: Joveo and Lightcast Research

An Eye on DE&I: How Do You Measure Up?

We all know how important diversity is! In fact, 67% of today’s candidates take a serious look at potential employers’ DE&I programs, and what they find influences their decision making process. And, as we well know, the more diverse your workforce, the better your business outcomes! That’s why the eye on DE&I, folks.

Recommendation: Did your state make the top or bottom three, when it comes to diversity in the occupation? If you find you’re falling a bit short, have no fear! There are a ton of relevant job boards to give your DE&I program the boost it needs.

Source: Joveo and Lightcast Research

How About Those Skills?

Successful recruiting means making sure your job postings compete with the best of the best and attract great-fit candidates. Basically we want to make sure you knock your competition outta the water. One important piece in the job posting puzzle? Skills. When it comes to recruiting CNAs, make sure you keep up with the pack!

Recommendation: Take a note of distinguishing skillsDistinguishing skills are advanced skills that may sometimes be called for. An employee with distinguishing skills is probably more specialized and differentiated from others in the role. that impact compensation, such nail care, and plan accordingly.

Source: Joveo and Lightcast Research

Occupational Gain to Attract and Retain

By understanding what occupations nursing assistants come from, you can tailor your job ad content and channels to reach the right audiences – this means more potential candidates, in addition to the usual talent supply in your location. For example, many nursing assistants come from previous professions like registered nursing, home health/personal care, and retail sales.

Recommendation: Identify the right channels with a combination of keyword research, using a programmatic job advertising partner with publisher-level historical data and expertise. Now go get those great-fit candidates!

Source: Joveo and Lightcast Research

Curious about how your own talent sourcing and recruitment advertising efforts compare? Find out what it takes to be best-in-class and leave your competition in the dust.

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