A majority of employers and recruiters (52 percent) expect to hire more career professionals in the second half of 2010 than they did in the first half of the year, according to a new survey by Dice Holdings, Inc., which operates specialized career Web sites for professional communities, including healthcare.

The Dice survey does not break down numbers by industry sectors. However a recent report from the U.S. Department of Labor anticipates demand for health information technology workers to grow.
 
Jobs in medical records and health information technology are expected to grow by 20 percent through 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Industry insiders estimate 50,000 new jobs will be created by the push to transform healthcare from a mostly paper-based industry to a digital one.

Careerbuilder.com shows more than 1,000 jobs listed for health information technology professionals. Among the companies hiring are: McKesson, UnitedHealth Group, Aetna, Accenture and Cigna.

Several educational institutions are gearing up to help meet the demand for new workers. Atlanta Technical College, for one, is expanding its health information technology program.

Atlanta Tech, which was awarded a $1 million grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help expand its program, is part of a 13-state consortium of community colleges that have growing health information technology programs.

Healthcare information technology is the hottest career option for college graduates, according to a new study from the University of California San Diego Extension.

"Several factors – a growing industry with vast employment needs, a societal concern with federal backing for broad reform, and a solution incorporating advanced knowledge and skills among workers – combine to form a strong base for workforce development and employment opportunity for the coming decade," said Mark Cafferty, San Diego Workforce Partnership president and CEO.

The Dice survey shows that across business and industry, nearly half of employers project they will add up to 10 percent more employees compared with the first half of 2010, while 28 percent plan to increase hiring by 11 to 20 percent.

"Businesses seem to be gradually loosening their grip on the hiring process as the economy improves," said Scot Melland, chairman, president and CEO of Dice Holdings, Inc. "At the same time, professionals are more willing to jump ship now.  As the employment cycle strengthens, companies are likely to find it more challenging to keep their top talent."