We hear a lot about people who can’t find a job. But if you’re in the healthcare sector, you probably already know you’re in luck. Employment in this field grew by more than 25 percent at the same time that total U.S. employment declined by more than 2 percent between 2000 and 2010.
According to a new report by the nonprofit Center for Health Workforce Studies at the University at Albany School of Public Health, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that between 2010 and 2020, jobs in the healthcare sector will grow by 30 percent – more than twice as fast as the general economy and consistent with findings from previous analyses conducted by the center.
In fact, a new record has even been set. More jobs were created in the healthcare sector in January and February than in any other recorded two-month period. Demand for medical professionals, such as physicians, is growing in leaps and bounds.
Last month, 26,000 jobs were added to this industry, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in a release. Offices of physicians and hospitals accounted for 8,000 of those jobs. Even though that was considered a slowdown from the previous months, the healthcare sector actually created 101,800 jobs in the first quarter of 2012, compared with the 61,000 jobs created in the first three months of 2011, the Bureau report revealed.
Findings have also revealed that the market for medical records and health information technicians will soar 21 percent from 2010 to 2020. And don’t fret if you’re a computer and information systems manager. Growth in that area is projected at 18 percent.
Why? Blame (or praise) the new healthcare laws and the incentives and requirements established under the meaningful use program, as well as the upcoming conversion from the ICD-9 to ICD-10 medical coding sets for the dramatic increase in demand.
The report also found that more than 13 percent of the U.S. labor force worked in the health sector or in a health occupation, and more than 4.2 million jobs will be added between 2010 and 2020, with 63 percent of those in offices of health practitioners, home health, and other non-institutional settings, according to the press release.
If you’re a registered nurse, home health aide or personal care aide, no worries about a new job if your old one ends. More than 2 million jobs in these positions will open up between 2010 and 2020, with another 700,000 job openings from attrition.
Edited by
Braden Becker
