Health Care Jobs Up, & Expected to Stay That Way

The sickness of one is the work of the other. The Wall Street Journal reports that “Health care saw a net gain of 419,000 jobs in 2008 and its growth outlook continues to be strong through 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.”

According to WSJ, Dennis Damp, “the Pittsburgh, Pa.-based author of ‘Healthcare Job Explosion’ and editor of Healthcarejobs.org, a free recruiting Web site,” said that “about half of the BLS' 30 fastest-growing occupations through 2016 are health-related.”

An examination of the latest BLS report (p. 25) shows that employment numbers were up in every category of health care jobs tracked. WSJ reports that “among specific occupations, the number of registered nurses grew the most, adding 168,000 jobs through November as hospitals and agencies tried to address a nationwide nursing shortage.”

The Journal also reports that “The number of home care aides grew by 64,000 in 2008, the BLS said. Office and administrative support workers such as medical-records clerks accounted for 14% of the overall increase in health-care jobs year over year.” That 14% increase would be equivalent to approximately 59,000 jobs.

John Challenger, chief executive of outplacement consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas in Chicago is reported by WSJ to have said that in health care, "Long-term forces are outweighing the short-term recessionary forces." Mr. Challenger cited “the aging of the baby boomers, rapid product development in biotechnology and increased momentum for comprehensive national health-care reform” as being “likely to drive job growth this year.”

Mr. Challenger also noted that "There's strong demand for geriatricians, physical therapists and nurses of all kinds….noting support work is hot as well, especially as the incoming Obama administration takes up health reform. 'A commitment to a new kind of more universal health-care system is going to create a new structure and consequently new jobs."

Read the full WSJ article here.