Recruitment and retention are some of the greatest challenges facing the American healthcare industry today. It’s not just doctors and nurses that are in high demand. Specialized technicians, assistants, and non-clinical staff are essential to ensuring quality patient care across the board—and many of these positions are getting harder to hire and retain.
The workforce shortage, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, is further complicated by both an aging population and an aging healthcare labor force. This, in turn, has wrought adverse effects on providers and patients alike. Persistent understaffing tends to create compounding consequences: Fewer workers mean heavier workloads, compromised quality of care, and an increased likelihood of burnout among existing staff.
These problems plague not only large hospital systems, but smaller private practices, direct-care providers, and even dental offices. Currently, one in nine employed Americans work in the health sector, and job growth in the field is reaching new heights. But the industry’s future depends on a robust talent pipeline to fill these roles. To tackle this systemic problem, Medley, the leading healthcare technology company in Japan, has launched an online career marketplace called Jobley.
Building a healthcare talent pipeline with Jobley
Jobley enters the American market with a distinct focus on the dental sector, which consists of many small, independently-run businesses.
“We believe it is crucial to provide the support and resources that other hiring platforms are missing,” said Kohei Takiguchi, Founder and CEO of Medley. “In the hiring market, the focus tends to be on higher-paid professions, such as doctors, nurses, and pharmacists, who work for large medical organizations with substantial budgets. As a result, small businesses struggling to hire niche roles are often overlooked. Jobley hopes to address the needs of smaller healthcare providers, who have fewer resources and support.”
Jobley’s team sources high-quality candidates and supports the hiring process through its easy-to-use platform. This is especially valuable for small offices without a dedicated HR team. Jobley provides comprehensive human support through every step of the hiring process, alleviating many potential administrative burdens.
With Jobley, healthcare employers can post as many job listings as they want for any duration, free of charge, as they’ll only be charged for listings after a candidate has been successfully hired. In many cases, even these fees will be lower than traditional hiring costs. And to combat the unexpected risk of turnover, Jobley offers a refund to employers on a sliding scale of 50-90% of the original fee for positions that become vacant within one month of the hire date.
“Our goal is to create a widely-used service that addresses the long-term demand for job matching in the healthcare field,” said Sunny Tsang, Head of Product at Jobley. “Aiming for sustainable growth, we will continue to carefully listen to user feedback and prioritize usability and overall user experience for both employers and job seekers in our product offering.”
Medley’s vision for strategic expansion
Beginning with dentistry, Takiguchi envisions expanding Jobley to encompass all healthcare-related professions and to serve healthcare providers of all sizes.
The Japanese version of Jobley, called JobMedley, is used by over 30% of all healthcare facilities in Japan, including dental clinics, medical institutions, nursing care facilities, and nursery schools. Medley leverages this extensive client base to drive widespread adoption of its SaaS solutions across the Japanese healthcare sector, which include online training, EHR, telehealth systems, and a comprehensive healthcare app connecting healthcare institutions with patients.
Takiguchi states, “At Medley, we continue to expand our business, providing easy-to-use products at affordable prices. Our goal is to offer staple products and tools that are widely and consistently used across various industries.” Similarly, Jobley aims to become an essential service for a greater number of people in the US healthcare industry, addressing the long-term demand for talent matching, just as JobMedley has become Japan’s largest healthcare-focused hiring platform.
Rather than prioritize rapid growth, the company has focused on building a business model that can deliver high-quality products and services at low prices. “It’s essential to maintain a skilled and motivated team and develop an organizational culture committed to continuous improvement, understanding customer needs and adapting to market changes—in addition to streamlining operations over the long-term,” says Takiguchi.
“Having seen many teams grow from small beginnings to large success, I can say that Jobley’s team is composed of competent talent, reminiscent of other successful teams I’ve observed. They are also building a strong culture capable of steadily scaling the business,” adds Tsang, who is also an entrepreneur and mentor of several Y Combinator companies.
Reflecting a characteristic often seen in Japanese companies, Medley prioritizes building user trust through quality products and services—a strategy that’s supported its success in Japan.
In recent years, Medley has also actively pursued partnerships with American companies across sectors. In April, in collaboration with Uber Eats Japan, the company launched a same-day prescription medication delivery through a comprehensive healthcare app, allowing patients to get prescription medications delivered right away after a telehealth visit. Starting in July, Medley has also partnered with Amazon Japan to link Amazon Pharmacy with the comprehensive healthcare app, enabling the online pharmacy users to seamlessly access telehealth services. Moving forward, Medley plans to continue working with various stakeholders, including government agencies and leading players in different industries. The company will continue to pursue its goal of providing essential healthcare services, and solving issues faced by patients, healthcare providers, and the healthcare industry at large.
How Medley champions health equity
“Since our founding, Medley has consistently tackled the complex challenges in the healthcare sector by sincerely addressing the needs of our clients, government agencies, and industry associations,” says Takiguchi. “We aim to be a company that can create business models and innovative products that become long-term, sustainable solutions in this highly challenging field.”
Japan and the US differ in terms of medical financing and costs, and US hiring culture is also largely oriented towards at-will employment—which means workers hired through Jobley will be inclined to return to the platform throughout their careers, as will employers. Developing trust and reliability is central to Jobley’s mission, which is consistent with Takiguchi’s commitment to Philanthropy as Medley expands to the U.S.
In response to pressing societal needs, Medley has been providing products and services free of charge. In addition to an ongoing program to improve public healthcare knowledge, the company has offered pro bono services to secure medical and nursing care volunteers in the wake of natural disasters. Jobley, from its outset, carries forward Medley’s philosophy by launching a Nonprofit Support Program, offering pro bono services to clinics providing free dental care to low-income and uninsured patients.
“In the U.S., economic disparity is significant, and patients are burdened with healthcare costs incredibly higher than in Japan,” says Takiguchi. “I strongly advocate for health equity, and have a strong desire to help build a healthcare system that allows economically disadvantaged groups to live securely. As a first step, we recently announced that Jobley will provide pro bono services to nonprofit healthcare providers.”
Access to oral health is a critical issue faced by many across the United States, particularly among low-income individuals. By providing free, high-quality care to those with the greatest need, nonprofit, free dental clinics play a vital role in facing this systemic issue. Jobley’s free services allow these clinics to streamline the hiring process and find the best candidates—and the funds saved on recruitment can be redirected to support these clinics’ mission to provide quality dental care for underserved communities.
“At Medley, it is crucial to be aware of and address the struggles faced by others in society. This program aims for active social participation and will also help new team members working on Jobley’s expansion to take pride in their service and company,” Takiguchi continues. “My dream is not to achieve short-term success for a small business. Together with our existing and new members as well as stakeholders, we aim to create a company in the U.S. that is as indispensable to healthcare providers, patients, and society as we are in Japan.”
Begin your hiring journey with Jobley and connect with high-quality candidates with the support of a trusted team.
