Checking the Pulse: A Labour Market Profile

March 2013

Checking The Pulse

A Labour Market Profile of the Health Care Industry in Hamilton, Ontario

About Workforce Planning Hamilton Workforce Planning Hamilton (established in 1997) is a catalyst for economic and labour market development, building solutions and engaging multi-stakeholder alliances. To achieve results for our community in the area of labour market development, we work in partnership with a broad range of stakeholders including business, labour and other community partners. In 2011, we formally changed our name to Workforce Planning Hamilton from the Hamilton Training Advisory Board to reflect more closely the work we do in the community.

We are a member of Workforce Planning Ontario, a network of twenty five labour market planning regions covering Ontario. WPH is funded by Employment Ontario - Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.

Go on-line to www.workforceplanninghamilton.ca to review our many research reports, project activities, and other publications.

Project Lead: Judy Travis, Executive Director Prepared by: Sarah Hosick, Projects and Data Analysis Coordinator

This Employment Ontario project is funded by the Government of Ontario.

Ce projet Emploi Ontario est financÊ par le gouvernement de l’Ontario.

This document may be freely quoted and reproduced without obtaining the permission of Workforce Planning Hamilton provided that no changes whatsoever are made to the text and Workforce Planning Hamilton is acknowledged as author. The information presented in this report is current at the time of printing.

The views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect those of the Government of Canada or the Government of Ontario.

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Table of Contents

3

Introduction

15

Nursing and Residential Care Facilities

5

Overview of the Broad Health Care Sector in Hamilton

11

Hospitals

21

Summary

6

Ambulatory Health Care Services

4

Methodology

Checking the Pulse | 2

Introduction With an increase in employment of over 10% between 2007 and 2012, the health care sector is one of the Hamilton CMA’s (which includes Burlington and Grimsby) fastest growing areas of economic development.

Ranked third overall in terms of number of workers employed (after both trade and manufacturing), the industry is an anchor for Hamilton’s current and future economic prosperity. Not only does Hamilton’s health care industry serve Hamilton residents, but the city also acts as a health care regional hub for surrounding communities, offering specialized care through its two major hospital networks: Hamilton Health Sciences and St. Joseph’s Healthcare. Hamilton belongs to the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), which is responsible for 202 health service providers.

With the release of Hamilton’s Development Strategy 2010-2015, life science was identified as a key cluster for business development. As life sciences are heavily connected to occupations in the health care industry in Hamilton, Workforce Planning Hamilton has prepared this report as a guide for individuals who wish to learn about the employment opportunities offered in this industry. To read about workforce opportunities within the life sciences cluster, check out Growing the Potential of Life Sciences in Hamilton, available on our website.

The health care industry faces unique workforce challenges. The 2012 provincial budget saw hospital funding frozen in order to invest more heavily in home and community based care1. If patients can be cared for at home instead of in a hospital, there will be more savings overall and cause an increase in demand for occupations such as personal support workers and home-based nurses. However, an aging population is putting pressure on the hospital system and hospitals anticipate an increase in operating costs of 3 to 4% during the 2012-2013 fiscal year2.

In order to continue as a strong health care regional hub, Hamilton needs a strong workforce available for employers wishing to expand or establish their business. This report provides detailed labour market information profiles for the three key subsectors of health care in Hamilton:  Ambulatory Health Care Services  Hospitals  Nursing and Residential Care Facilities

1 2

2012 Ontario Budget: Highlights, Ontario Ministry of Finance, March 27, 2012 Hamilton-area hospitals cutting $24.7 million, Metroland Media Group, July 27, 2012

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Methodology For the purpose of this report the health care sector was defined according to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), which classifies business establishments based on their type of economic activity. Within the broad health care and social assistance (NAICS 62) classification, Workforce Planning Hamilton focused specifically on ambulatory health care services (NAICS 621), hospitals (NAICS 622), and nursing and residential care facilities (NAICS 623). Each subsector profile includes a detailed description of the sector, number of establishments, labour force characteristics, occupational analysis and a narrative of the trends, opportunities and challenges of the industry in Hamilton.

To document the status of the industry as it relates to the local Hamilton economy, data was collected from a number of sources. To identify the number of business establishments within the Hamilton census division, Canadian Business Patterns (CBP) data was used from June 2012. The data identifies the number of employers by detailed industry and for nine different employee size ranges, including indeterminate employers.

The number of people employed and the top occupations based on the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system are from the 2006 Statistics Canada census. The NOC is a nationally accepted reference on occupations that groups over 30,000 job titles into 520 occupational groups, providing a standardized framework for organizing the workforce into a coherent system.

While the data provided by these sources identify Hamilton’s position in the industry, it was also useful to collect local knowledge from employers and stakeholders in the field. In this report, Workforce Planning Hamilton engaged key informants across the subsectors to discuss their experience in the health care sector and provide insight into current needs and challenges of the health care industry.

Checking the Pulse | 4

Overview of the Broad Health Care Sector in Hamilton To provide a recent look at employment trends, Figure 1 shows employment trends for 2012’s top five industries of employment in the Hamilton CMA. Health care and social assistance is the third largest industry of employment, after both trade and manufacturing. Recent growth in the health care industry, combined with a decline in manufacturing, has led to a narrowing employment size gap between these two sectors.

While employment decreased in 2010, the health care industry has recovered well from the economic downturn, growing over 10% since 2007, higher than the average employment growth across all industries of 3%.

Figure 1 Employment Trends in the Top Five Industries of Employment, Hamilton CMA, Labour Force Survey

To understand the size of the health care sector in Hamilton specifically, the most comprehensive data available is from the 2006 census. A total of 25,260 individuals were part of the health care sector, which accounted for almost 10% of the total labour force in Hamilton.

Figure 2 shows the composition of the health care labour force by subsector. Hospitals accounted for almost half of the workforce, with strong employment figures in both the Hamilton Health Sciences and St. Joseph’s Healthcare hospital networks. Ambulatory health care services, and nursing and residential care facilities accounted for 29% and 24% of the labour force, respectively.

Figure 2 Composition of Hamilton’s Health Care Sector by Labour Force, 2006 Census

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Ambulatory Health Care Services (NAICS 621) Description Ambulatory care refers to out-patient services that are provided at a location outside of a hospital.

Additional subsectors of ambulatory care services include: 

6211 - Offices of Physicians



6212 - Offices of Dentists

Fast Facts



6213 - Offices of Other Health Practitioners

•



6214 - Out-Patient Care Centres

29% of the health care industry, with a total labour force of 7,240 in 2006



6215 - Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories

•

1,492 employers in 2012



6216 - Home Health Care Services

•

80% of the workforce is female



6219 - Other Ambulatory Health Care Services

Industry Presence in Hamilton A total of 7,240 people were involved with the ambulatory health care services sector in Hamilton in 2006, an increase of 6% since 2001. This sector accounted for 29% of the labour force in the health care sector and 3% of Hamilton’s total labour force.

Table 1 shows labour force statistics for Hamilton, Ontario, and Ontario without Toronto. There are an equal percentage of workers in this industry in Hamilton as there are across the province, as well as Ontario without Toronto’s labour force included.

Table 1 Labour Force in Ambulatory Care Services, 2006 Census NAICS 621 Ambulatory Health Care Services

Hamilton

Ontario

Ontario minus Toronto

#

%

#

%

#

%

7,240

2.8%

184,255

2.8%

145,920

2.8%

Checking the Pulse | 6

Canadian Business Patterns in Table 2 reveal there are 1,492 companies in Hamilton’s ambulatory health care sector. Small business dominates in Hamilton, with 26% of ambulatory care businesses being sole proprietor/owner operated, and a further 71% employing less than 20 employees.

Table 2 Number of Employers by Employee Size Range in Hamilton, Canadian Business Patterns, June 2012 NAICS 621 Ambulatory Health Care Services

Owner operated

1-4

5-9

10-19

395

667

285

100

20-49 50-99

37

2

100199

200499

500+

Total

3

2

1

1,492

The most common types of ambulatory health care businesses are shown in Table 3. As will be discussed in the local knowledge section, physician recruits to Hamilton have increased in recent years, reflected in the high number of physician offices. Offices of Other Health Practitioners (NAICS 6213) includes offices of chiropractors, optometrists, mental health practitioners, physical, occupational and speech therapists, as well as any health practitioners not classified to any other industry.

Table 3 Number of Employers by 4 Digit NAICS, Canadian Business Patterns, June 2012 Subsector

# of Employers

6211 – Offices of Physicians 6212 - Offices of Dentists

701 251

6213 – Offices of Other Health Practitioners 6214 – Out-Patient Care Centres 6215 – Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories 6216 - Home Health Care Services 6219 – Other Ambulatory Health Care Services

356 114 33 23 14

Ambulatory health care services made up over 5% of all businesses in Hamilton, comparable to just over 4% of all businesses in Ontario. Additionally, ambulatory health care services accounted for 89% of all businesses in the health care sector, even though it only composed 29% of the industry’s labour force.

Table 4 Distribution of Ambulatory Health Care Employers in Hamilton, Canadian Business Patterns, June 2012 NAICS 621 Ambulatory Health Care Services

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Hamilton Total

Distribution %

Ontario Total

Distribution %

1,492

5.5%

37,561

4.2%

Labour Force Characteristics The 7,240 individuals that make up the ambulatory care labour force in Hamilton are supported by a strong labour force in surrounding regions. Table 5 below shows the number of residents in neighbouring regions either working or looking for work in the ambulatory care services sector.

Table 5 Labour Force in Ambulatory Health Care Services across Neighbouring Regions, 2006 Census NAICS 621 Ambulatory Health Care Services

Hamilton

Grand Erie

Niagara

PeelHalton

Toronto

WaterlooWellingtonDufferin

Total

7,240

3,480

6,665

22,085

38,335

10,350

88,155

Education Levels of Workforce The majority of the workforce has some level of post-secondary education, with 74% of the workforce holding a college, CEGEP or other non-university certificate or diploma, or a university certificate, diploma or degree.

Figure 3 Levels of Educational Attainment in Ambulatory Health Care Services in Hamilton, 2006 Census

Full Time versus Part Time Workers The majority of workers held full-time positions in 2006, meaning they worked 30 or more hours in a week in their main or only job. However, there is a lower concentration of full-time workers in this sector than across all industries. These figures include both voluntary and involuntary part-time workers.

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Figure 4 Full-Time vs. Part-Time Workers in Ambulatory Health Care Services in Hamilton, 2006 Census

Occupational Analysis Table 6 shows the top ten occupations in the subsector. Many of the top occupations, such as receptionists and switchboard operators, registered nurses, administrative officers and secretaries are also found in other industries. Dentists, dental assistants and dental hygienists are found almost exclusively in this sector.

Table 6 Top 10 Occupations in Ambulatory Care Services in Hamilton, 2006 Census NOC 1414 3152 6471 3112 3411 1221 3222 1241 1243 3113

Occupational Title Receptionists and Switchboard Operators Registered Nurses Visiting Homemakers, Housekeepers and Related Occupations General Practitioners and Family Physicians Dental Assistants Administrative Officers Dental Hygienists and Dental Therapists Secretaries (Except Legal and Medical) Medical Secretaries Dentists

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Labour Force in Ambulatory Care

% of Total Industry Labour Force

660

9.1%

570

7.9%

565

7.8%

460

6.3%

460 320

6.3% 4.4%

320

4.4%

250

3.5%

250 235

3.5% 3.2%

Age of Employed Workforce Figure 5 shows that many of the top occupations have the majority of their workforce under 45 years old. However, dentists, visiting homemakers and secretaries (except legal and medical) have a higher proportion of older employees, with the majority of their workers over the age of 44.

While Canadians are increasingly delaying retirement, occupations with an older than average workforce may contain positive employment prospects for job seekers, as job openings are created from the need to replace workers who retire or leave. The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities list registered nurses, general practitioners and family physicians, and dental hygienists and dental therapists, as all having good future employment prospects.

Figure 5 Age of Employed Workers in Ambulatory Care Services’ Top 10 Occupations in Hamilton, 2006 Census

Local Knowledge Ambulatory care businesses are generally small, employing fewer than 10 employees. Typically, a traditional clinic may have one or two main health practitioners, as well as several administrative assistants to perform reception duties, bookkeeping and clerical work. As patient care shifts from hospital settings to home and community based care models, it is likely a higher demand will be placed on ambulatory health care services. The HNHB Community Care Access Centre, an organization that coordinates care in the home and community as well as long-term care options for patients, has indicated that it has seen an increase in the number of clients with high care needs. This means that not only were more people able to be cared for at home instead of in a hospital or other facility, it also means that more resources were made available for those with acute care needs.

Physician recruitment in recent years has increased the number of doctors practicing in Hamilton, with 145 new physician recruits since 2005. As more family doctors set up practice in Hamilton, there could be more opportunities for job seekers within their clinics. While Hamilton is still short 26 family doctors, the city’s increase in physicians is outpacing both provincial and national rates3. Hamilton has more 3

Hamilton doctor shortage persists despite gains, Joanna Frketich, Hamilton Spectator, November 16, 2012

Checking the Pulse | 10

foreign-trained physicians than both the Ontario and Canadian averages, with approximately 32% of the city’s doctors with foreign educational backgrounds4.

Since 2005, there have been 200 Family Health Organizations created across Ontario. There are two in Hamilton:

Hamilton Physicians has noticed a shift in popularity from the traditional fee-for service models to Family Health Organizations • McMaster Family Health Team (FHO). FHO include a team of family physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, social workers and other professionals who work • Hamilton Family Health Team together to provide health care for their community. FHOs tend to have a larger staff base than fee-for-service clinics, employing occupations such as information technologists, quality improvement specialists, registered dieticians, and mental health counselors.

HOSPITALS (NAICS 622) Description This sector is comprised of hospitals, primarily engaged in providing medical, diagnostic and treatment services, and specialized accommodation services to in-patients. Hospitals may also provide a variety of out-patient services as a secondary activity.

Additional subsectors of hospitals include:

Fast Facts

 6221 General Medical and Surgical Hospitals

•

11,975 labour force participants in 2006, more recent estimates approximate 14,000 workers

•

2 major hospital networks in Hamilton: Hamilton Health Sciences and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton

 6222 Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals  6223 Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals

Industry Presence in Hamilton

A total of 11,975 individuals worked in the hospital subsector as of the 2006 census; however, more current information from the two major hospital • Recent increase in demand networks estimate a combined workforce of over 14,000 individuals. This for Information and sector accounted for 47% of the labour force in the broad health care sector Communication Technology and 4.6% of Hamilton’s total labour force. Table 7 shows there is a higher concentration of workers in the hospitals sector in Hamilton than in Ontario as a whole, as well as Ontario without Toronto’s labour force included.

Table 7 Labour Force in Hospitals, 2006 census NAICS

Hamilton

622 Hospitals 4

# 11,975

Ontario % 4.6%

# 187,865

Hamilton Physicians Personal Interview, August 24, 2012

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Ontario minus Toronto % 2.9%

# 149,980

% 2.9%

Hamilton’s Hospital Networks Hamilton has two major hospital networks: Hamilton Health Sciences and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.

Each organization is made up of multiple hospitals, which provide service, not only to Hamilton residents, but surrounding communities as well. Hamilton Health Sciences, ranked #1 in Canada and #7 in the world for research impact, employs over 10,000 workers, more than 1,600 physicians and 1,500 volunteers5. In operation for over 120 years, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton has a staff of over 4,0006.

Major hospitals in Hamilton include: Hamilton Health Sciences •

Chedoke Hospital

•

McMaster Children’s Hospital

•

McMaster University Medical Centre

•

Hamilton General Hospital

•

Juravinski Cancer Centre

•

Juravinski Hospital (formerly Henderson General Hospital)

•

St Peter’s Hospital

St Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton •

Charlton Campus

•

West 5th Campus (formerly Hamilton Psychiatric Hospital)

•

King Campus

Labour Force Characteristics There is a strong labour force in hospitals in surrounding regions. The table below shows the number of residents in local communities that are either working or looking for work in the hospitals sector.

Table 8 Labour Force in Hospitals across Neighbouring Regions, 2006 Census

NAICS 622 Hospitals

5 6

Hamilton

Grand Erie

Niagara

PeelHalton

Toronto

WaterlooWellingtonDufferin

Total

11,975

3,545

5,575

18,225

37,885

8,340

85,545

Right Place. Best Care. Hamilton Health Sciences Who We Are. St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton

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Levels of Educational Attainment

Figure 6 Levels of Education Attainment in Hospitals in Hamilton, 2006 Census

The majority of the workforce has some level of post-secondary education. Forty-one per cent of the workforce has a college, CEGEP or other non-university certificate or diploma, with an additional 38% holding a university certificate, diploma or degree.

Occupational Analysis The top ten occupations shown in Table 9 make up almost 60% of the labour force in the hospitals sector, with registered nurses accounting for 28% of that figure. Nurses make up the largest proportion of health workers in Ontario.7

Table 9 Top 10 Occupations in Hospitals in Hamilton, 2006 Census NOC

Occupational Title

3152 3413

Registered Nurses Nurse Aides, Orderlies and Patient Service Associates

1414 3111 6661 3112 3414 3211 1411 3233

Receptionists and Switchboard Operators Specialist Physicians Light Duty Cleaners General Practitioners and Family Physicians Other Assisting Occupations in Support of Health Services7 Medical Laboratory Technologists and Pathologists’ Assistants General Office Clerks Licensed Practical Nurses

Total Labour % of Force in Industry Industry Total 3,370 28.1% 655 5.5% 470 465 440 415 355 355 325 300

3.9% 3.9% 3.7% 3.5% 3.0% 3.0% 2.7% 2.5%

7 Includes occupations such as chiropractic assistant, blood donor clinic assistant, morgue attendant and optometrist assistant

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Age of Employed Workforce Many of the top occupations have their age distribution spread out relatively equally, with approximately half of the workforce under 45. Due to the need to replace workers who retire or leave, the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities expects employment prospects to be good for registered nurses, specialist physicians, and general practitioners and family physicians.

Figure 7 Age of Employed Workforce in Hospitals’ Top 10 Occupations in Hamilton, 2006 Census

Local Knowledge Almost half of Hamilton’s health care labour force works in the hospitals St Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton sector. There are a wide variety of occupations at both Hamilton Health has been one of Canada’s Top 100 Sciences and St Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton including medical occupations such as doctors, specialists, and nurses and non-medical Employers for 2011, 2012 and 2013. occupations such as information technologists, human resource staff, and clerical workers.

Key talent and recruitment issues identified through the local hospital networks include recruiting experienced nurses for critical care, administrative physician leadership roles and experienced managers.

Management roles tend to demand more hours from an individual, with a lower pay scale. Employees in the hospital sector, as well as the broad health care sector need to be able to adapt to changing technology. Older workers tend to have a tougher time adapting to new practices; however, hospitals do provide in-house training for their employees.

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Recently, hospitals have seen an increase in demand for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) roles in their workplaces, as procedures become more electronic. eHealth Ontario was established by the provincial government in 2008 to enable physicians and health care providers to establish and maintain electronic health records for all of A great way to see if a career in the Ontario’s residents. By actively engaging new information technology, hospitals sector is right for you is to doctors and clinicians can share patient information electronically volunteer at a hospital in a field you through a secure and confidential electronic health record.

are interested in.

NURSING AND RESIDENTIAL CARE FACILITIES (NAICS 623) Description This sector is comprised of businesses that provide residential care, nursing, supervisory care or other types of care as required by the patients. The care is typically a mix of health and social services.

Additional subsectors of nursing and residential care facilities services include:  6231 Nursing Care Facilities  6232 Residential Mental Retardation, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities  6233 Community Care Facilities for the Elderly  6239 Other Residential Care Facilities

Industry Presence in Hamilton Comprising 24% of the health care sector and 2.3% of the total labour force in Hamilton, nursing and residential care facilities had a labour force of 6,045 in 2006. Hamilton has a slightly higher concentration of individuals in the sector than Ontario as a whole, and Ontario minus Toronto’s labour market.

Table 10 Labour Force in Nursing and Residential Care Facilities in Hamilton, 2006 Census NAICS 623 Nursing and residential care facilities

Hamilton

Ontario

Ontario minus Toronto

#

%

#

%

#

%

6,045

2.3%

114,705

1.8%

98,670

1.9%

As of June 2012, there were 178 businesses operating in Nursing and Residential Care Facilities in Hamilton.

The majority of businesses employed less than 20 workers, while 5% were owner operated (meaning they do not have employees on payroll but may employ contract workers, family members and/or owners).

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Table 11 Number of Employers by Employee Size Range in Hamilton, Canadian Business Patterns, June 2012 NAICS

Owner operated

1-4

5-9

9

26

50

623 Nursing and Residential Care Facilities

10-19 20-49 50-99

38

23

12

100199

200499

500+

Total

11

8

1

178

Table 12 Number of Employers by 4 Digit NAICS, Canadian Business Patterns, June 2012 Subsector

# of Employers

6231 – Nursing Care Facilities 6232 – Residential Mental Retardation, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities 6233 – Community Care Facilities for the Elderly 6239 – Other Residential Care Facilities

41 58 47 32

Nursing and Residential Care Facilities made up 0.7% of all businesses in Hamilton, comparable to 0.5% of all businesses in Ontario.

Table 13 Distribution of Employers in Nursing and Residential Care Facilities in Hamilton, Canadian Business Patterns, June 2012 NAICS 623 Nursing and Residential Care Facilities

Hamilton Total

Distribution %

Ontario Total

Distribution %

178

0.7%

4,192

0.5%

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Labour Force Characteristics Table 14 Labour Force in Nursing and Residential Care Facilities in Neighbouring Regions, 2006 Census NAICS

Hamilton

Grand Erie

Niagara

PeelHalton

Toronto

WaterlooWellingtonDufferin

Total

6,045

3,300

5,150

9,255

16,035

7,735

47,520

623 Nursing and Residential Care Facilities

Levels of Educational Attainment

Figure 8 Educational Attainment in Nursing and Residential Care Facilities in Hamilton, 2006 Census

The majority of the workforce has some level of post-secondary education, with 36% of workers holding a college, CEGEP or other non university certificate or diploma, and 19% with a university certificate, diploma or degree.

Occupational Analysis The top ten occupations in Table 15 make up 77% of the labour force in the nursing and residential care facilities subsector. As provincial health care focus shifts to community and home-based care, it is likely that nurse aides, registered nurses and visiting homemakers will continue to be in demand in non-hospital settings.

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Table 15 Top 10 Occupations in Nursing and Residential Care Facilities in Hamilton, 2006 Census NOCS 3413 3152 6641 4212 6661 3233 6242 6471 4152 6663

Occupational Title Nurse Aides, Orderlies and Patient Service Associates Registered Nurses Food Counter Attendants, Kitchen Helpers and Related Occupations Community and Social Service Workers Light Duty Cleaners Licensed Practical Nurses Cooks Visiting Homemakers, Housekeepers and Related Occupations Social Workers Janitors, Caretakers and Building Superintendents

Total Labour Force in Industry

% of Industry Total

2,285

37.8%

680

6.3%

470

7.8%

435

7.2%

315 270 180

5.2% 4.5% 3.0%

160

2.6%

100

1.7%

75

1.2%

Age of Employed Workforce Several of the top occupations, such as cooks, community and social service workers and food counter attendants have a relatively younger workforce, with the majority of workers under 45 years of age.

According to the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, employment prospects are good for registered nurses, community and social service workers, and social workers.

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Figure 9 Age of Employed Workforce in Nursing and Residential Care Facilities in Hamilton, 2006 Census

Local Knowledge Hamilton has an aging population. 2011 census data revealed that Hamilton has a slightly higher median age at 40.9 years than both Ontario at 40.4 years and Canada at 40.6 years. Canada’s population aging is a mix of the baby boomer generation entering their retirement years and people in general living longer lives8. An aging population combined with a provincial health care budget focused on home care indicates the demand for health care services outside of the hospital setting will increase in the coming years. Similar to the effect on ambulatory health care services, nursing and long-term care facilities may also see an increased demand for their services due to the budget changes.

There is a relatively higher percentage of immigrant workers in this sector compared to all industries. The 2006 census showed that 41% of workers in Hamilton’s nursing and residential care facilities subsector were immigrants, compared to only 25% across all industries.

8

Census: Hamilton, you’re getting older, Heather Scoffield, Hamilton Spectator, May 29, 2012

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Through an online survey, Workforce Planning Hamilton reached out to local employers in this sector to hear about their current and expected future human resources challenges. Combined with survey responses gathered through the Hiring Immigrants Project, Workforce Planning Hamilton heard from 18 employers in the sector. Please note that responses are not statistically significant and may not be representative of the entire employer population.

A summary of the survey responses include the following: •

39% of respondents indicated their organization is currently growing, 61% indicated their organization Employers surveyed expected personal support is staying the same size, and no businesses said their workers and registered nurses to be in the organization was shrinking

•

When asked about their future hiring outlook, 72% next 3-5 years indicated they were very likely to hire at least one new employee in the next 12 months

•

When asked what occupations they had the most difficulty recruiting for, responses ranged from registered nurses as the most common, but responses also included personal support workers and cleaning staff

•

The biggest challenges identified were attracting and retaining key talent, as nursing and residential care facilities tend to not be able to pay as well as hospitals for a comparable workload

•

Organizations in this sector also noted the challenge of meeting government regulations while operating on tight budgets

greatest demand in their organization in the

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Summary As Hamilton’s population continues to age, it is anticipated that more demand will be placed on health care services. Evidence shows that the health care sector has already experienced a strong increase in employment over the past few years and will likely continue to increase in the near future. The city’s position as a regional health care hub, existing hospital infrastructures, and large number of both ambulatory care clinics, and nursing and residential care facilities present considerable opportunity for Hamilton’s workforce.

This report has provided an overview of the three subsectors of health care in Hamilton: ambulatory care services, hospitals, and nursing and residential care facilities. Just as the scope of the work done in the sector is vast, there are many different occupations available for job seekers. Regulated healthcare professionals represented the most difficult positions to recruit for. In particular, occupations identified as high in demand in the sector include: personal support workers, registered nurses, specialist physicians, administrative leaders, and information and communication technologists.

The 2012 provincial budget decision to enhance community-based care to treat patients in alternative lower-cost settings instead of in hospitals means the job market will likely shift to non-profit clinics and at home services as well. The health care sector is heavily influenced by provincial funding decisions, and the decision to move to patient-centred funding models to improve the value and quality of care will be reflected in labour market demand. Through this change, and the shift to electronic health records and procedures, workers need to be adaptable to evolving skill requirements, have the right attitude, and obtain the proper schooling and certification required for their occupation.

For a detailed guide on occupations in healthcare which includes information regarding education, salary, work environment and future prospects, check out Workforce Planning Hamilton’s Caring Careers: A Guide to Occupations in Healthcare.

You can find this and other reports about Hamilton’s workforce on our website: www.workforceplanninghamilton.ca

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Acknowledgements Thank you to those who took the time to discuss their organization and the health care sector in Hamilton with Workforce Planning Hamilton.

Louise Taylor Green, Hamilton Health Sciences Deb Schubert, Hamilton Health Sciences Rosalie Prokopetz, Hamilton Health Sciences Frank Naus, Hamilton Health Sciences Rob Wiggins, St Joseph’s Healthcare Dr Kevin Smith, St Joseph’s Healthcare Jane Walker, Hamilton Physicians Shirley Stewart, Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant Local Health Integration Network Miranda Ingribelli, Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant Community Care Access Centre Kate Rennick, Hamilton Family Health Team

Thank you to the companies that participated in the online survey distributed by Workforce Planning Hamilton.

References Frketich, Joanna. “Hamilton doctor shortage persists despite gains,” Hamilton Spectator. November 16, 2012.

Hamilton Health Sciences. “Right Place. Best Care.”

Metroland News Service. “Hamilton-area hospitals cutting $24.7 million,” July 27, 2012.

Ministry of Finance. “2012 Ontario Budget: Highlights,” Government of Ontario. March 27, 2012. Accessed December 5, 2012 <http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/budget/ontariobudgets/2012/budhi.html > Scoffield, Heather. “Census: Hamilton, you’re getting older,” Hamilton Spectator. May 29, 2012.

St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. “Who We Are.” Accessed December 5, 2012. www.stjosham.on.ca

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