Why Delays in Hiring Cost More Than You Think

As anyone involved in allied health, nursing, and community services recruitment will confirm, hiring is never “just filling a vacancy.”

When you’re hiring professionals in areas like allied health and community services, that person needs to be fully vetted and ready to go from day dot, which requires a lot of work behind the scenes. Speeding up the recruitment process can often seem unrealistic.

With Australia facing a shortage of more than 70,000 nurses by 2035, a similar shortfall already bearing on the aged care sector, and acute disparities in rural healthcare workforce supply, delays in hiring are likely to increase.

But here’s the catch: in a market where qualified candidates are in short supply and high demand, timing matters just as much as finding the right fit. Even when you’ve found the right candidate, delays in your hiring process can cause you to lose them altogether.

At Curamoir, we speak with purpose-led employers every day. And one thing is increasingly clear: slow hiring costs more than most people realise. Here are ways to avoid the pitfalls of a recruitment process that is more ‘tortoise’ than ‘hare’.

What employers often tell us

“We want to move forward on this candidate, but the process takes time.”

It’s a common challenge. In many organisations, internal approvals take longer than expected, and key decision-makers are often stretched. Being thorough in the recruitment process is of the utmost importance in healthcare.

There is a difference, however, between being deliberate and being slow. And trust us, candidates can tell. When a process starts to drag, they often quietly step away. In other words, candidates can ghost you.

Where the recruitment process breaks down

We often see hiring grind to a halt not because of one big issue, but due to a mix of small, fixable ones:

Sometimes, job description or hiring budgets aren’t nailed down before starting a search.
Other times, recruitment admin piles up. Interviewers aren’t coordinating their calendars to efficiently schedule interviews.
Then you get multiple interview rounds, plus background checks and reference calls, and each of these adds a delay.
Verbal offers are made, but employment contracts take days to follow
With large applicant pools, hiring decision-makers can get bogged down trying to find the “perfect” fit, rather than moving forward with very good candidates.

Good candidates don’t have time to wait

Most employers think they’re the only one courting a great candidate. They’re not!

Candidates today are moving quickly because they have to. Here's what the numbers tell us:

22% abandon job applications that are too complex or time-consuming
24% drop out during screening if things go quiet
25% pull out during the interview phase when communication is poor
26% exit completely if the process drags on too long
And 50% lose interest if they haven’t heard back within two weeks

If your hiring process slows down, another job offer often lands before yours does.

The true cost of hiring delays in healthcare

The true cost of slow hiring goes well beyond the empty seat. Here’s what’s really at stake when vacancies drag on:

Quality of care takes a hit
Fewer people on shift means longer wait times, more rushed appointments and more errors. Staff can only stretch so far before standards slip, which spells trouble for patient safety and overall experience.
Burnout drives more people out the door
When roles stay unfilled, the pressure falls on your existing team. Over 80% of employerswho take more than a month to hire say they see real business impacts, with 41% of employers in Health Care and Social Assistance reporting negative impacts on existing staff. Burnout, absenteeism, and eventual turnover can leave you chasing your tail in a cycle of backfilling.
Rural and remote services suffer most
In regional areas, even short-term vacancies can lead to major disruptions. Without consistent coverage, services get rationed or shut down. These challenges can worsen the equity gap for communities that already face barriers in accessing healthcare.
Compliance gets harder to maintain
Understaffing can also put your organisation at risk of falling short on regulatory requirements, potentially putting accreditations and reputations on the line.
Your employer brand is on show
In a competitive healthcare recruitment market, word gets around. An overly-slow hiring process can send the wrong message to good candidates – and they may be tempted to warn their peers about applying for roles in your organisation. A strong, responsive employer brand is now key to attracting and keeping great people in healthcare as much as any other sector.

Tips for speeding up the hiring process

In healthcare recruitment, here are practical ways to keep momentum and avoid losing the best candidates:

Lock in interview and decision times early
Before you even start shortlisting, set interview slots in advance and confirm who will be involved in decision-making for the role. It helps avoid delays later and shows candidates you’re organised and serious about hiring.
Be clear on salary, process, and start date before going to market
Confirming the essentials from the start avoids embarrassing hiccups later. Before recruitment begins, agree internally on salary range, the steps in your hiring process, and when the role needs to start.
Keep interviews focused and efficient
Lengthy or unfocused interviews packed with repetitive questions can waste everyone’s time. Instead, aim for purposeful conversations that get to the heart of what you need to know, and respect the candidate’s time. Make notes in every interview so you can keep track of questions and responses.
Provide feedback after every step
Even a quick update to candidates makes a big difference. Whether they’re moving forward or not, keeping them in the loop builds trust and shows courtesy.
If the right person is found, make a verbal offer
A timely verbal offer can go a long way in keeping someone interested while the paperwork is finalised. The longer you wait, the more likely someone else will snap them up.

Make each day count – talk to a healthcare recruitment expert

At Curamoir, we support employers across allied health, nursing (including remote area and aged care nursing), and community services find the right people without cutting corners or wasting precious time. We understand the pressures of regulated, people-first sectors. We also know how quickly candidates can disappear when momentum is lost!

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