Expectations were high for July to be a very active month on the StaffDNA job boards after a sharp jump in application volume in June, and travelers did not disappoint.

The volume of applications increased by almost 20 percent, making it the second month in a row with a significant increase in job board activity.

This positive trend can be linked to several factors:

• August is a historically busy month for hospitals in the U.S., but especially for pediatric facilities. Most school districts in the U.S. start the school year in mid- to late August, so parents are likely to bring their children in for a check-up or to update their immunizations.
• Experienced travelers who took off in the summer were on the hunt for fall assignments.
• “Snowbirds” who headed back to northern states during the summer are looking to migrate down south for the winter.
• Job volume kept up with traveler demand. Needs for skilled labor and delivery and OR professionals ramped up in late-June, and less popular summer vacation states were offering competitive pay packages.

Travel Healthcare Jobs August 2018

We don’t expect to see another dramatic jump in job board activity for August, but we do expect hospitals will already start recruiting for winter travelers late in the month.

“[Pediatrics], ICU, step down, [telemetry]—you’ll see hospitals start to book in September,” a LiquidAgents Healthcare source told HCT Today. “Hospitals that are budgeting and planning early are already putting out January needs.”

A quick look at the StaffDNA job board shows several new positions posted within the last two weeks that have scheduled start dates in December.

Let’s take a closer look at what we learned from July’s top markets.

State ranks are starting to shake up

June saw almost no major movement among the ranks of states where travelers applied to the most, but July showed hints of the upcoming seasonal shift, with more Southern states holding or moving up the list.

Since August is a transitional month for the traveler job market, we expect to see much more dramatic shifting trends in where travelers apply for jobs. September may prove to be even more volatile, as travelers who got contract extensions through August will start actively seeking jobs.

Arizona and Tennessee enter the Top 10

After a month out of the big leagues, Arizona jumped 10 ranks back up to the No. 6 spot of the top 10 most applied-to states. Tennessee also re-entered the top ranks at No. 7.

Tennessee seems to be a fairly popular state year-round, but as we’ve seen Arizona is much more prone to seasonal changes. We may see it hop around the ranks in August and September, but we expect it and New Mexico to be very popular with travelers in the winter months.

Massachusetts makes the biggest jump, Illinois falls the farthest

Illinois dropped 14 ranks, from the edge of the top 10 at No. 11 to middle of the pack at No. 25. Meanwhile, Massachusetts regained most of the ground it lost in June, moving up 12 ranks from No. 41 to No. 29.

The drop for Illinois is expected—the northern state enjoys more popularity in the spring, but travelers may be looking to get out before the winter season hits. The state experiences five severe winter storms on average between November and April, according to information from the state’s climatologist office.

Massachusetts frequently hangs around the middle of the pack for total applications, so we expect it to mostly maintain its rank during the coming months.

July’s Top Markets

1. California
2. Florida
3. Texas
4. North Carolina
5. Georgia
6. Arizona
7. Pennsylvania
8. Tennessee
9. Michigan
10. Virginia
11. Wisconsin
12. Arkansas
13. South Carolina
14. Kentucky
15. Missouri
16. Nevada
17. Iowa
18. Indiana
19. Maine
20. Oklahoma
21. West Virginia
22. New Mexico
23. Oregon
24. Indiana
25. Illinois
26. Colorado
27. Ohio
28. Hawaii
29. Massachusetts
30. Alabama
31. Washington
32. New York
33. Minnesota
34. Maryland
35. Louisiana
36. Montana
37. New Jersey
38. Kansas
39. Mississippi
40. Alaska
41. Wyoming
42. Nebraska
43. Utah
44. Connecticut
45. District of Columbia (Washington D.C.)
46. South Dakota
47. Vermont
48. North Dakota
49. New Hampshire
50. Rhode Island
51. Delaware