Nursing is Officially America’s Dream Job | So why the Staffing Shortages?

In a study to find out America’s most desirable jobs, analysts at Business Name Generator found that nursing is the most in-demand career in the country. They analyzed over 22,000 search terms related to job seeking to identify the most-searched-for professions. Six of the top 20 most popular jobs are in the healthcare industry.

Every month, over 88,000 people search for information on how to start their career in nursing, searching phrases like ‘how to become a nurse’ – nearly twice as many as those searching for finance roles. The number of monthly searches also increased by 34% between March and April 2020, after the first COVID-related restrictions came into effect and people became more interested in contributing to helping those affected by the pandemic.

The second most popular career search is ‘therapist, suggesting a widespread American aspiration to help people through their profession.

However, whilst the interest in pursuing nursing is clear, in reality, the healthcare sector is facing a shortage of workers. There are currently over 1.7 million jobsavailable within health and social care in the USA. This shortage has led to healthcare worker strikes, focusing on understaffing as their priority.

The study also found that nursing roles are some of the most readily available jobs in many major cities. In New York City alone, there were over 11,000 nursing jobs available on Indeed.com at the time of analysis (October 2023). Whilst interest in this career is growing, nursing turnover poses a continued problem and roles remain empty. Improving staffing and work conditions will have to be the focus of healthcare organizations to see prospective nurses transform into long-term healthcare professionals.