Ep 113 – Veterinary Sector Recruitment Predictions 2023

These 8 predictions are in no order of priority as they’re all important.

Some of these predictions will be contrary to other recruitment consultants.

#1 – Vet Clinic Employer Branding

My first veterinary recruitment prediction for 2023 is that I believe employer branding is going to be more important than ever AND more clinics are going to start to see the employer branding light and start to invest in their employee facing image more.

Why do I say vet clinic employer branding is going to be more evident?

Because apart from the increasing number of employer branding initiatives we’ve helped clinics with through 2022, we’ve also had an uptick in enquiries from clinics who want to DIY their own vet clinic employer branding but don’t know where to start.

Part and parcel with employer branding, more clinics will highlight – in their recruitment campaigns – their “people-first, planet-protection and purpose-filled” missions.   Clinics that take this approach – those who realise it’s going to take 3 years or so, but when done right, will make recruitment easier for those clinics.

The end result of being known as a PEOPLE.FIRST employer is those clinics will be able to start building a wait-list of motivated professionals who want to work for them.   PEOPLE.FIRST clinics will start becoming their own motivated-employee magnets.

Further integrated into employer branding, is that we’ll see more clinics sharing their WHY? – their purpose and raison d’etre – in their recruitment advertisements.  This is a step in the right direction to attract veterinary professionals who share similar values and personal missions.

Job advertisements will change

Still under the general heading of “employer branding”, I predict we’ll start to see a bigger shift in how job advertisements are crafted.

I expect to see job advertisements become more employee centric.   Less about the clinic – with all due respect – most veterinary professional job functions are standard across clinics and hospitals – what makes the difference is the ethos and spirit fuelling each practice.

#2 – Job Sharing and Part Time will become genuine options

My second prediction is that I believe more clinics will genuinely be on board with job sharing and, in line with this, they’ll truly appreciate the value part-timers bring to clinics.

At the moment, many clinics are still advertising for full timers with a PS that part-timer applicants are welcome to apply.   That’s almost like saying part-timers are regarded as second-best.

I’m expecting clinics to be more open-arms welcoming of part timers in 2023 AND, those part timers will be equally respected as contributing team members – even though they can “only” work school hours.   And I say “only” using air quotes.

#3 – how remuneration is “packaged”

My third prediction is that remuneration packages will be more reflective of the worth veterinary professionals bring to the business table.  Salaries are already increasing – which is good to see.

I expect these will continue to increase (beyond the rise in CPI and/or inflation) AND that there will be more discussions taking place about HOW increases can happen in-clinic.   That veterinary professionals will be invited to come forward with ideas about how clinics can be more profitable and/or how revenue can be increased.

I also expect to see a shift in remuneration packages becoming more personalised and individualised.   No longer will salaries comprise of an annual salary in exchange for approximately 2,080 hours every 365 days.

Salary composition personalisation

I expect to see more personalisation in salary composition.

Remember, most veterinary professionals in NZ are employed under Individual Employment Agreements.   The key word here is INDIVIDUAL.

Even though we’ve got unions and fair pay agreements, I honestly think there’ll be more customised and individualised employment agreements being drawn up.

Check out episode 78 (4 case studies of successful pay rises for veterinarians and veterinary nurses) – one of the things I really enjoy is being invited into clinics to help them with their salary reviews.

What surprised me then, and still surprises me now, is that HR and PMs somehow don’t think it’s okay to ask what an employee wants in their salary package.    For example, would they like more annual leave instead of a pay rise?  More CPD?  Would they like leadership coaching or training?

It makes me smile when I’m asked “can we ask them those questions?” ummmm… yessss!  You can because if you don’t ask you won’t know.

In some cases, an extra week’s leave might be more meaningful and therefore enjoyable for the employee, than, say, a $5k or $10k pay rise.   And in many cases, one week’s additional annual leave costs a clinic less than $5k or $10k but comes with immeasurable goodwill.

Coupled with remuneration diversification, I predict that more practice managers and HR managers will start asking the “what would you like?” questions around rempacks – remuneration packages.

HR and PMs will start to uncover what’s truly important to each of their team members and will start to package more meaningful remuneration packages.

#4 – job satisfaction increase for veterinary nurses

Prediction #4 – an increase in job satisfaction for vet nurses and less churn in-clinic.   I expect to see nurses’ skills starting to be utilised better in clinic which will lead to greater job satisfaction for them and less nursing staff turnover.

I predict that clinics will look at how they’re utilising their nursing staff more – to create both increased job satisfaction for the nurses AND to help reduce some of the stress on the veterinarians.

There’s already action being taken by the Council with this, and I expect more clinics to get proactive with how they utilise their talented nursing staff.

It seriously makes sense for vets to do what only vets can do and for nurses to let them do that while they get on with doing what they’re professionally trained to do.

Not a prediction, but a personal wish of mine, is for clinics to start employing dedicated administrative receptionists – thus better maximising the medical skills nurses have.

#5 – the really good will get better and the vet clinic employer brand divide will widen

Prediction #5 is that the good employers will get better, with the cream rising to the top, whilst the not-so-good employers will, tragically and sadly, get worse.

Why do I think the not so good will get worse?   Because they’ll get left behind and the gap will continue to widen.

The good employers – those who’re right into employer branding and looking after their teams – will get to choose from the A-players… the highly engaged and motivated professionals – because that’s who their employer brand will attract!

Whilst the whingers, moaners, disengaged and disenfranchised will end up in the not-so-good clinics just making them even more not-so-good.

#6 – AI – artificial intelligence vs personalisation  

Prediction number 6 is that those clinics that rely on sophisticated AI (artificial intelligence) powered recruitment software and applicant tracking systems (ATSs), will miss out on some high performers because recruitment is all people, not AI-bots.

AI bots are great for some things but in those instances where a vet or a nurse hasn’t written their CV or application in a way the AI bot has been programmed to recognise and shortlist, the bot will overlook them and the clinic will miss out.

AI bots are very capable of discounting perfectly good applications because such CVs lack the key words the AI has been programmed to select.

This will happen when no human eyes are reading CVs.

Here at VetStaff we read EVERY SINGLE CV.  All of them!

We have AI inbuilt into our recruitment database programme – but we don’t utilise it.   We use human eyes all of the time.  Yes – it takes TIME!   But we’re all very cognisant that behind every CV – excellently or poorly written – is a real live human who has their own dreams and aspirations.

Clinics that rely on artificial intelligence to do all of their selection will, I think, miss out on some really suitable and motivated staff.

I predict that with staff shortages continuing – which they will for a while to come yet – it’s going to be more and more important to read each and every job application so those whose CV isn’t a work of art full of AI-programmed keywords, won’t slip through computerised applicant tracking system holes.

This is one of those instances where my prediction is contrary to other recruiters who’re predicting that AI and sophisticated computerised applicant tracking systems are going to become more and more important.

I disagree.

I think that because we’re in a global staffing shortage across most industries and professions – personalisation is going to be key.   Almost just like it was in the old days.

Onboarding is going to be ever more important if clinics want to impress and keep the new employee they’ve worked so hard to find.   I’ve talked about this before back on episode 097 –entitled “how to increase staff retention by 82%”.

#7 – recruitment will have a seat at the management table in its own right

Maybe this won’t happen fully in 2023, but I see the function of recruitment will mature into its own “department” within clinics – just like accounting, sales & marketing and HR.

Recruitment, done correctly, is more marketing than HR.    I think the only reason it’s fallen under HR in the past – and where it’s managed to stay – is because of the people factor.   However – life according to Julie – it’s more effective and successful – when treated as marketing.

Why?   Because it’s more about attraction – just like the purpose of traditional marketing is to attract and keep new clients – so to is recruitment.   It’s about attracting and keeping new and existing staff.

For smaller clinics – those that don’t have a dedicated marketing team, I believe that employer brand outsourcing of some kind, will be essential.    I know that kiwis like to DIY – but all that results in is “getting by” … Dr Paul Unsworth talked about this last week – that we need more specialisation.   I believe the same in relation to recruitment.   And yes! I have a vested interest in saying that.

But back to prediction #7 – I think the function of recruitment will be taken more seriously by more clinics in 2023 and those clinics will start to take their employer brand seriously – because every workplace has an employer brand – for better or worse!

#8 – investment in retention

And finally, at #8 – I believe retention will be given more emphasis.   We started to see it in 2022 with initiatives like the NZVAs Wellness Symposium in November in Christchurch.

We’ve got Dr Megan Alderson’s “VetTHRIVE” wellness programme available.

I think we’ll start to see more wellness initiatives with a view to not only, helping improve veterinary professionals’ health and wellbeing but as a way to retain those who’re already in clinical practice.

Again – from a marketing perspective (remember I said I believe recruitment is more marketing than HR?) – from a marketing perspective, it costs a business a lot less to KEEP its existing customers than it does to get new ones.

That’s the same for staffing:   staff turnover is hugely expensive!   I predict that more clinics will start to regard staff retention as an investment and not a cost.

However, I think it’s going to be a while before clinics regard churn – staff turnover – as a cost.

When THAT happens – when those looking after the purse strings – the accountants – truly see turnover as the COST it is, then, maybe, just maybe, more clinics will see retention and recruitment marketing as the investment it truly is.

There you have it – my 8 veterinary recruitment predictions for 2023.

Let’s see how they play out over the next 365 days or so.