The New Jersey Collaborating Center for Nursing (NJCCN, “Center”) has been focused on supply data for many years inclusive of educational capacity and workforce data. The Center now has the ability to look at demand data for the healthcare workforce. Demand data is used to determine workforce trends in real time and is important for predicting the job market. The Center uses software designed by Burning Glass™ to identify real time demand by job postings. This database draws on a real-time demand on a national, state and regional level using 40,000 sources; and mines and codes data from each posting. It uses a standardized coding developed by the US Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration to ensure accuracy and consistency. The database can track and analyze employer hiring activities by industry, occupation, education, and skill level to help provide future direction. While traditional survey data is important they are not often completed due to survey fatigue. There is also a delay factor that may make the data less valuable over time. The NJCCN is the first nursing workforce center nationally to use this approach. The first RN report is posted on the NJCCN website: https://njccn.org.
In 2017, data will be available on a quarterly basis and will expand beyond RNs to both licensed and unlicensed personnel. Dr. Edna Cadmus, Executive Director, NJCCN identified that “This data will help identify needs across the state and will help target areas where education can be provided to help meet the demands within our state.” A model for matching supply and demand will be a future project of the Center.