Forbes (05/15/12) Bruce Japsen

The doctor shortage is growing worse, and that shortage means doctors looking for temporary assignments are in demand. As more Americans gain health care benefits under the Affordable Care Act, the need for doctors is expected to grow.

AMN Healthcare subsidiary Staff Care says because hospitals and medical groups can’t find enough permanent doctors, they are increasingly turning to locum tenens doctors. “In a down economy, people don’t see the doctor unless they have to, either to avoid deductibles or because they are not insured—and there still are not enough physicians to go around,” notes Staff Care president Sean Ebner. The company says its number of “temporary days filled” for its clients rose to 183,252 last year from 181,834 in 2010 even at a time when hospitals and health facilities are seeing cuts in government health insurance programs that pay them.

MarketWatch (05/16/12)

The pace of job creation may pick up over the summer months, fueled by an expected increase in seasonal hiring. Three in 10 (29%) U.S. employers plan to hire workers for the summer, up from 21% in 2011 and an average of 22% over the past four years, according to ASA corporate partner CareerBuilder’s annual Summer Job Forecast. Stronger-than-expected growth in the manufacturing sector, as well as increased consumer confidence heading into vacation season, are likely behind the busier summer hiring season. Approximately 45% of employers in the manufacturing industry plan to add summer workers, followed by hospitality (44%), retail (34%), and finance (31%).

“Confidence is up among the employers we most closely associate with summer hiring. This is good news for job seekers, as seasonal work can often lead to full-time opportunities. A majority of employers told us they consider a summer position an extended job interview,” says Brent Rasmussen, president of CareerBuilder North America. “The forecast is also a strong indicator that the job market will continue to strengthen as we come closer to the second half of 2012.”

PRNewswire (05/15/12)

The Randstad Engineering Employee Confidence Index, a measure of overall confidence among U.S. engineering workers, was 64.9 in the first quarter of 2012—the highest level of confidence recorded since the third quarter of 2007, when the index stood at 66.2. The first-quarter results show high levels of optimism when it comes to engineers feeling confident in their own personal employment situation.

“Given the strength of the engineering industry, it was not surprising that the Randstad Engineering Employee Confidence Index was the highest among all other professions tracked,” says Richard Zambacca, president of Randstad Engineering. “According to the Department of Labor, there were more than 1.6 million jobs in engineering at the end of Q1 2012 and this is expected to grow at 11% over the next 10 years. Based on this projected growth, it is likely that our Index will continue to report high levels of confidence, on both a macroeconomic and personal level.”