An exponential growth of health literacy research reveals that the awareness of health literacy as an important determinant of health is increasing. The uptake of health literacy as a professional skill in various disciplines is less explored. This study examined the development of health literacy as a professional competency by reviewing the demand and descriptions in job adverts.

The review was conducted in Indeed and Careerjet during March to May 2015 and 2020. Duplicates were removed and adverts were excluded if health literacy was not mentioned in the text.  The content of each advert was assessed according to organization, organization type, country, job title, job description, and qualification needed.

In 2015, the study yielded 548 results of which 87 were excluded and 189 duplicates were removed resulting in 272 adverts included in the database. In 2020, the review revealed 722 results whereof 152 were excluded and 354 were duplicates resulting in 216 to be included. The majority of the adverts were from the United States although several were produced in Australia and Canada.  While nursing and public health were the main disciplines represented in 2015; there were multiple disciplines demanding for health literacy as a professional skill in 2020. The disciplines included academia, dentistry, healthcare management, health insurance, interpreter, journalism and health communication, librarian, marketing and sales, medical assistant, medical doctor, nursing, nutritionist and dieticians, pharmacy, psychiatry, psychology, public health, publisher, social work, volunteer, and web design. The discourse of the adverts could be linked to national policies related to health literacy in the given countries.

The study highlights the demand for health literacy as a cross-disciplinary and cross-sectoral, professional competency. Health literacy of professionals plays an important role for communication and quality and safety of health services. Notably, health literacy should be an integral part of higher education and continuous professional development programmes to meet the increased demand.