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This update focuses on the Impact of the Current Economy on our Professions
Research Methodology
ASHA has been surveying various member groups throughout this year to get additional insights about how the challenging economy is affecting members and to learn what specific resources ASHA might provide to help members during the economic downturn. So far, we have surveyed seven cohorts: members of the Audiology Advisory Council, members of the Speech-Language-Pathology Advisory Council, pre-registrants to the 2009 ASHA Healthcare/Business Institute Conference, Audiology members, pre-registrants to the 2009 ASHA Schools Conference, university and college-based members, and State Association Presidents.
Members of the 2009 Advisory Councils
Members of both Advisory Councils (AAC and SLPAC) were very consistent in their responses regarding the impact of the economic downturn on their professional spending and on their employers spending in 2009. About half of both Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists report they intend to reduce their professional spending by a little in 2009, but about the same number report that their employer plans to reduce spending by a lot this year. Most advisory council members report no substantial change in employment for CSD professionals this year. The most impact appears to be in the area of not filling open positions. About 17% of SLP respondents and 35% of Audiology respondents indicate that their setting does not plan to fill open positions in 2009.
Pre-Registrants to the 2009 ASHA Healthcare/Business Institute
Responses of pre-registrants to the Healthcare Business Institute Conference track very closely to the responses of the Advisory Councils. One slight difference was in the area of employer spending, where the responses of this group were more positive, with only 40% expecting their employer to reduce spending by a lot. Though about 15% of respondents said their setting was not filling open positions, about the same number said their setting has actually increased the number of positions in 2009.
Audiology Members
Responses of Audiology respondents tracked closely with those of the Audiology Advisory Council members. Interestingly, they were slightly more positive on the employment front, with more than 50% seeing no change in the number of audiology positions. In addition, nearly 20% said their employer had no plans to reduce spending this year, but about 20% also responded that the greatest employment impact was in the area of not filling open positions.
Pre-Registrants to the 2009 Schools Conference
Results for Schools Conference pre-registrants track closely with all the other cohorts that were surveyed. One area of difference was in the responses related to the number of positions in the schools. About 35% report no change in the number of positions, more than 20% report a decrease, and 17% of respondents are expecting an increase in the number of positions this year. Geographic area has a lot to do with the variability of these results.
University and College-Based Members
The picture painted by our academic cohort shows a bit more concern, particularly when it comes to members in public universities. About 75% of respondents from public colleges or university report that they expect substantial spending reductions this year. In addition, 40% of the academic cohort report some concerns about their job being impacted by the current recession.
State Association Presidents
State Association Presidents responded in ways very consistent with the other surveyed groups. 65% of respondents say that annual revenue of their state association has been impact a little or not at all in 2009, 27% indicate they intend to reduce spending by their association by a lot this year, and only 18% said they plan to reduce their personal spending by a lot. Approximately 77% of respondents indicate that there is a significant shortage of SLPs in their state, resulting in pressure to hire less qualified staff.
Summary of All Results
Plan to Reduce Professional Spending
Overall, the results show that the professions of audiology and speech-language pathology are being negatively impacted by the challenging economy, but that impact appears to be moderate, especially in contrast to other fields such as finance, manufacturing, construction, and so on.
Plan to Reduce Personal Spending
Members consistently report that they are reducing spending, but not by a lot. The vast majority (60% to more than 95%, depending on the cohort) are not concerned about losing their jobs.
Salary Trend Data
Historically, other jobs data has shown that CSD salary growth has significantly outpaced inflation and CSD professionals remain in high demand in most of the country.
Another area explored in the surveys was to look for ways ASHA can help members during this downturn. Respondents consistently requested more information about the stimulus package and its affect on members. ASHA has responded by setting up a list of resources for members. Requests that came out of the open-ended questions were focused around help in advocacy, lower cost CEUs, more networking opportunities, and increasing the number of scholarships and grants. ASHA is actively working find new and innovative ways to respond to the ideas that were suggested in the surveys.
Additional surveys to more member groups are planned as the year progresses. All the survey data can be accessed on the Web site.
National Office Staff Updates
The following individuals are new to the ASHA staff since June 2009:
- Charlet Grant, Sr. Administrative Assistant (OMA)
- Yvonne Kankam-Boadu, Director of Finance
- Ayana Nickerson, Director of Certification
- Zack Roach, Manager, CE Provider Records
- Lisa Marie Thomas, Membership Assistant (NSSLHA)
The following staff has changes positions within ASHA:
- Rohan Mahadevan, Professional Development Program Coordinator (formerly Manager, CE Provider Records)
The following individuals have left ASHA to pursue other opportunities:
- Emily Diaz, Program Assistant (ASHF)
- Anna Mikesell, Administrative Assistant (NSSLHA)
- Elaine Weisblatt, Advertising Sales Representative
- Paula Starr, Director of Finance
- Maria Waters, Executive Assistant
Recent ASHA and ASHA National Office Awards
Transportation A2CE Award from Montgomery County Department of Transportation for Outstanding Promotion of Alternatives to Drive-Alone Commuting
The Next Executive Director Update
ASHA’s Member Value Proposition
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