Travel Jobs: Top 10 States for June, July Market Predictions
In our June traveler job market predictions, we talked about the “summer stall”—less new job postings, more competition for every job and more interest in atypical summer job states. Based on StaffDNA job board data, two of our predictions were on target. Job application volume increase by nearly 20 percent from May to June, marking the most active month since January. What we didn’t expect was for supply to match pace with demand. Hospital systems in many states, including popular summer destinations like California and Virginia, bounced back after the late-May and early-June slump. Part of this can be linked to vacation plans for permanent hospital staff, according to travel agency sales staff sources. As the regular staff takes off for the summer or cuts back on hours, that provides opportunities for travelers to fill the gaps. We expect for this market momentum to stay strong in July, as travelers who took time off in June will be planning ahead for the start of the school season in August or to find a fall contract in September. The back-to-school rush marks a yearly milestone for many travelers with children or grandchildren. They will typically take a break during the summer for childcare, and return to hospitals once the kids are back in school. “The experienced travelers know it can take four to six weeks to find and start a job, so they start the search for an agency and position mid-summer,” said Kate Quinn of LiquidAgents Healthcare. Let’s take a look at what we learned from our top markets for June. Rankings barely shift as travelers settle in for the summer While April and May saw a lot of “movement” in terms of where healthcare travelers applied across the country, ranking shifts were much more conservative in June, despite the high application volume. Most states moved up or down the list by 5 ranks or less, and five states—North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Wisconsin and Washington—didn’t move at all. We expect the list to remain mostly stable for July, August and potentially in early fall, as traveler won’t start making big moves until we get closer to the holiday season. Michigan, Missouri, Virginia enter the Top 10 For the first time this year, Missouri joined the likes of Texas, California and Florida in the top 10, moving up two spots from May to No. 9. Virginia moved back up as anticipated, jumping up five ranks to No. 10 on the list. The state is both a top travel destination for summer 2018 and one of the top five highest paying travel nurse states in the U.S. Montana, Wyoming climb the charts; Connecticut drops to dead last Montana and Wyoming both moved up seven ranks to take the No. 41 and 42 slots, respectively, while Connecticut dropped 16 spots to the bottom of our list. Connecticut has consistently ranked in the bottom half of the list for job board applications. It’s also one of the most expensive states to work in as a traveler because of the high regional cost of living and low average pay packages. Interest in Maine uncertain as Medicaid expansion remains in flux Enrollment for the voter-approved Medicaid expansion was supposed to roll out on July 2, which would have provided a $500 million shot in the arm for healthcare funding in the state and coverage for more than 70,000 eligible recipients. Pending litigation surrounding the expansion has left the issue in limbo. A Maine judge forced Gov. Paul LePage to submit an expansion plan to the federal government by June 11, but LePage’s administration submitted an appeal for the ruling. While the appeal is pending, LePage also vetoed the expansion bill this week. Because of the political turmoil, it’s uncertain whether the expansion will have an impact on the Maine traveler job market as expected. June’s Top Markets Florida California Texas North Carolina Georgia South Carolina Michigan Pennsylvania Missouri Virginia Illinois Indiana Kentucky Tennessee Arkansas Arizona Nevada Idaho Oklahoma Iowa Wisconsin West Virginia New Mexico Maine Oregon Colorado Washington Hawaii Ohio Alabama Louisiana Maryland Mississippi New Jersey Alaska Utah Kansas Montana Wyoming Minnesota Massachusetts North Dakota New York District of Columbia Delaware Nebraska New Hampshire Rhode Island South Dakota Vermont Connecticut
The 5 Most Expensive States for Travel Nursing
One of the main benefits of travel nursing is the travel itself. What your recruiter or agency might not tell you is that some of these locations will leave an expensive dent in your wallet. By using data from our Travel Nursing Pay Packages and Cost of Living By State guide, we’ve put together a ranked list for the five states where you might actually spend more money than you make. Using the exact opposite criteria as our Five Best Value States for Thrifty Travel Nurses, we looked at the bottom 20 lowest paying states and singled out the locations that were at least 5 points above the 100.00 baseline of the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis’ regional price parity index (PPI). In locations above baseline, you can expect to pay more for rent and other basic consumer goods like food and gas. While three of the most expensive states are popular vacation destinations, two states on the list were surprising to see. 5. Colorado At No. 5, we had to make a special exception for Colorado because it is only at 103 points on the PPI. However, it ranks at No. 34 for highest pay packages, which puts it in the 20 lowest paying states. This isn’t a huge surprise. The state is one of the most popular vacation and travel destinations, especially in the summer for travelers that are looking for cooler temperatures and beautiful mountains to explore. As far as “most expensive” travel nursing state, you could certainly do much worse than Colorado. 4. New Hampshire New Hampshire also barely made the list, with a 105.9 PPI rating and a No. 41 ranking on our Highest Pay Packages list. The Granite State mirrors its neighboring states with high costs of living like New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, but doesn’t offer comparatively high pay packages. Travelers also don’t apply to New Hampshire that often—it’s ranked at No. 37 or lower this year in terms of total applications each month, according to StaffDNA job board data. On the plus side, if your heart is set on seeing big cities like Manchester or Concord, chances are you won’t be competing against many other nurses for a spot. 3. Connecticut Another New England state with a high price tag, Connecticut comes in at No. 3 on our list. The state offers some of the lowest average pay packages in the country while having a PPI rating of 108.7. On our Highest Pay Packages list, it ranks at No. 48. Despite the low pay and high cost of living, those who want to visit New York City without actually working in New York City may be in luck—several of the major metropolitan areas in the state are a short 2-hour drive away from the Big Apple. 2. Washington D.C. (District of Columbia) It’s not technically a state, but most agencies and job boards treat Washington D.C. as its own region. So for the purposes of our lists, we do the same. It’s no secret that D.C. is one of the most expensive places to live in the U.S., mostly because of sky-high rent, food and public transportation prices. But when you’re smack dab in the middle of our nation’s capitol, there are endless opportunities to experience historic landmarks, iconic monuments and some of the best museums in the country, most of which are free to visit. D.C is also a great place to visit if you prefer to rely on public transportation because it has some of the best systems in the US. 1. Hawaii If you’ve been sold on the dream of making a fortune in travel nursing while lounging on the world-famous beaches of the Hawaiian Islands between shifts, it’s time for a reality check. Hawaii is the most expensive state to live in the U.S, with a PPI rating almost 20 points above the national average at 118.4. Unlike its West Coast neighbor California, the state ranks near the bottom of our Highest Pay Package list at No. 38. (California ranks at No. 1) Hawaii’s popularity as a vacation destination contributes to the lower than average pay packages in the state. Since competition is always high, hospitals can bring on travelers who aren’t afraid to break even or even lose money while working. Experienced travelers know the draw of Hawaii is not the pay, but the adventure. It may be wise to save up from other assignments during the year before planning your paradise vacation contract.