According to Staffing Industry Analysts’ recently published 2016 US Staffing Industry Forecast, the healthcare segment of the US temporary staffing market is projected to grow a robust 14% in 2016, following a 20% surge in 2015. The travel nurse sub-segment of the healthcare staffing industry was the star of the industry – it grew revenue by an astounding 38% in 2015 and is projected to grow another 22% this year. The locum tenens and allied health sub-segments are also projected to grow by double digits this year.

The healthcare boom is driven in part by the increased number of insured patients resulting from implementation of the Affordable Care Act. The Congressional Budget Office estimates an additional 5 million non-elderly adults will gain healthcare coverage in 2016, while another 2 million will become insured in 2017. This means the current demand environment is likely to continue at least until 2017, underpinning our rosy growth forecast for the healthcare staffing market. We project healthcare staffing growth to decelerate to a still healthy 8% in 2017, as the influx of newly insured moderates and hospitals have more time to adjust to the evolving landscape.

The complete US temporary staffing forecast is available online.