Healthcare Staffing
The market
Healthcare is now the largest single skill segment in US staffing, with SIA-projected revenue of about $38.7 billion. Demand is structural: national data shows roughly 1.42 million unfilled healthcare and social assistance positions, healthcare drove the overwhelming majority of private-sector job growth in late 2025, and long-range forecasts put the segment on a multi-year growth path near a 6% compound rate.
Key facts:
Largest US staffing segment: ~$38.7B (SIA projection)
Open healthcare roles: ~1.42 million nationally
Clinician attrition: half of clinicians have considered leaving their role; a quarter of nurses the profession
Strongest sub-vertical: locum tenens
Where the demand concentrates
Locum tenens arguably had the best 2025 of any staffing sub-vertical, because physician and advanced-practice coverage gaps are structural rather than cyclical. Allied health and behavioral health continue to outpace general nurse staffing as travel-nurse demand normalizes from its pandemic peak. Per diem remains the pressure valve for shift-level gaps.
What separates healthcare staffing operators
Three capabilities decide who wins: credentialing speed (licenses, certifications, immunizations, background checks verified and current before the client asks), compliance depth (facility-specific requirements, Joint Commission awareness), and fill reliability at shift level. Healthcare clients forgive price before they forgive an uncovered shift.
A contrast worth knowing for cross-border operators: in Canada, healthcare is the smallest major segment at roughly 3% of a C$9.3 billion market, while IT leads - the inverse of the US mix.
Read the full healthcare analysisFrequently asked questions
How big is the healthcare staffing market?
Healthcare is the largest US staffing skill segment, with SIA-projected revenue of about $38.7 billion, supported by roughly 1.42 million unfilled healthcare and social assistance positions nationally.
What is the fastest growing healthcare staffing niche?
Locum tenens - temporary physician and advanced-practice coverage - arguably had the strongest 2025 of any staffing sub-vertical, and demand remains elevated because provider shortages are structural, not cyclical.
Why is credentialing so important in healthcare staffing?
Because it is the rate-limiting step of every placement: licenses, certifications, immunizations, and background checks must be verified and current before a clinician can work a shift, and facilities audit their staffing suppliers on it.