Employers continue to leverage temporary staff to meet increased business demands.

One of the nation’s largest online job boards announced last month that 29 percent of employers responding to a recent employment survey said they hired temporary workers in the first quarter of 2011. Twenty six percent planned to do so in the second quarter, according to a March 31, press release.

Though the survey doesn’t specifically address healthcare staffing, survey results come from a broad spectrum of more than 2,800 hiring managers and 5,600 workers.

“A good indication that travel nursing jobs and travel therapy jobs are picking up,” said Mary Kay Hull, from American Traveler, a leading supplier of travel nurses and therapists to hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, outpatient rehab, ambulatory surgery and home health providers.

Trending was most positive for companies with 500 or more employees and least promising for companies with 50 employees or less. Hiring was hottest in the West and coolest in the South.

Nurse job pay, as indicated by survey findings, is expected to change little in 2011. Fewer than half of employers planned to issue pay raises. Of those, only 15 percent anticipated increases beyond cost of living.

“Here’s where travel nursing jobs rise to the top for nurse job seekers and travel therapists looking to maximize salaries,” said Hull.

As hospitals and healthcare employers regroup in the face of economic recovery, highly skilled temporary RNs and therapists are being utilized to maximize patient care efficiencies – fueling demand for travelers. Salaries for travel nurses and therapists can be 20 percent higher and benefits such as free private housing, free health insurance and a company matched 401(k) result in significant lifestyle advantages, in turn attracting higher quality caregivers to employers’ doorsteps.

With healthcare reform promising to flood the healthcare system with more than 40 million newly insured patients over the next four years, thousands of nursing and therapist jobs will be created. Hospitals and healthcare employers will source a mix of permanent and temporary RNs and therapists and staffing agencies will be on the lookout for highly skilled caregivers with competitive credentials.

How do your qualifications and experience stack up?

Take a moment to browse available therapist jobs in parts of the U.S. you may want to explore. Then call 800.884.8788 with any questions or click on Travel Nursing Job & Travel Therapy Job Questions to learn more.

American Traveler is proud to staff rewarding nursing jobs and therapy jobs in hospitals, outpatient care centers and clinics in all 50 U.S. States—don’t miss your chance to be more than just a spectator in this upward trend for healthcare jobs across the board. Call 1-800-884-8788 or apply online today for the perfect springboard to launch your nursing career!