Employers are offering increasingly attractive employment packages to lure the best candidates in today’s highly competitive job market. By Cameron Cooper
It’s no secret there have been widespread staff shortages across the Australian dental market in recent years—and that looks set to continue in the future.
A report in late 2021 by financial services company BDO stated there was a 20 to 25 per cent shortfall in the number of dental hygienists, assistants and other practice staff in Australia needed to meet the increased need for dentistry services post-pandemic.
Four years on, the staff shortfall remains, making dental recruitment more competitive than ever. With dentists and other oral health care workers in high demand, employees find themselves in a much stronger bargaining position to negotiate better salaries and conditions.
As has happened in many other professions in Australia, a greater range of incentives are now being offered to attract the best candidates to the available roles.
According to Samantha Miklos, CEO of Cornerstone Medical Recruitment (cmr), practices seeking to woo top candidates are willing to offer all kinds of enticements to give their practice an advantage when recruiting. These might be a percentage of billings in line with the market standard, marketing strategies for new hires to help them build up their client base, retainer offerings to give new dentists time to settle in, health insurance, retirement plans, student loan repayment assistance and bonuses. “Offering equity or profit-sharing options can also make a practice more attractive,” Miklos adds.
Kamilah Lovell, dental senior consultant at cmr, says flexible scheduling, such as the ability to work part-time, or tailor shift times to better suit personal needs, has emerged as a significant drawcard for candidates who prioritise work-life balance.
Candidates may also welcome opportunities to expand their skills and advance their careers through professional development programs. “Practices should offer continuing education stipends, mentorship programs and pathways to leadership roles,” Lovell advises.
Relocation assistance can be a particularly important incentive if a move is required to a regional location.
The opportunity to work with the latest technology can also be appealing to job applicants. Lovell says practices using modern equipment such as CEREC restoration technology, digital scanners and rotary endodontic instruments are particularly compelling to tech-savvy candidates, as is the ability to upskill in specialty areas.
Pam McKean, director at recruiter AB Dental & Medical, has noted staff shortages are greater in regional areas. “There are a reasonable number of candidates in metropolitan markets for now, but there’s definitely always shortages in the regions, purely because it normally requires a relocation for someone to go there.”
McKean says competition for dentists has resulted in more practitioners pushing harder with contracts, and that has included requesting a base salary. “So, they’re on a base salary plus commission, whereas traditionally commission has always been the industry standard for dentists in corporate and private practice.”
Such a perk is not, however, a given. “Just because someone wants it, doesn’t mean they’re going to get it,” McKean says, adding that candidates need to “sell” themselves, provide information about daily billings and demonstrate they are “a good investment for a practice”.
After failed internal moves to find a new practice manager for Melbourne’s Lifetime Holistic Dental, a 20-employee business, Dr Chris Darby realised he needed help. Employment ads were not attracting the right candidates, and he was missing red flags during job interviews. Dr Darby turned to dental sector specialist Johnson Recruitment to source an elite practice manager.
Despite initially baulking at the fees, Dr Darby teamed up with the recruiter and later understood the costs allowed him to save time and take advantage of market networks, negotiating skills and job-interviewing prowess. He now has an entrenched practice manager coordinating staff and patient matters at Lifetime Holistic Dental, whose employment package includes an above-award wage, the promise of significant training opportunities and a discretionary bonus in return for strong performance.
With his wages bill having spiked at about 45 per cent since COVID, Dr Darby says he has learned there is no room for recruitment errors. “You want to make sure you get the right person because the cost of recruiting the wrong person and then having to start again is probably more than the cost of their wage.”
Dr Darby offers above-award salaries but states that’s only a condition of high performance. “So, we put staff on KPIs, we motivate them, we educate them, we train them,” he says. “We feel like it’s a value exchange and we’re hoping we’re adding value to their lives so they can add value to ours.”
With employers and candidates both focused on getting the best possible deal, clear negotiations are key. Miklos advises practices and candidates to be up-front from the start about what roles specifically involve and what the expectations are. “This includes the days that are available, the ideal start date, the experience required, and the percentage of billings,” she says.
Modern dental practices must understand they are in a highly competitive market says director of Johnson Recruitment, Simonne Sigston. “In the past decade, hourly rates and salaries have sat above award guidelines. Employers will always say that they look to pay above the award rate because they’re hoping to attract a better-quality staff member but because all practices are doing that, you’re really in an open-market situation.”
Dr Darby also believes it’s crucial for dental practices who do recruit good talent to constantly reinforce their importance to the business.
“I make it clear my staff are my number one resource,” he says. “Without them I couldn’t do a thing.”
