Four out of the 10 industries that will account for 86 percent of the job growth through 2016 are healthcare-related. “Other medical service and dentists, which includes the home healthcare, outpatient care and medical and diagnostic laboratories subsectors, is expected to add the most jobs at around 2.25 million. Private hospitals are projected to add around 500,000 jobs by 2016, and physicians will add slightly less, according to the report.
The report attributes much of this growth to an increasing demand for physicians, registered nurses, and other health professionals and technicians as well as medical records and health IT technicians. Healthcare support jobs are expected to see the biggest growth, with a projected 48 percent increase by 2016. Health practitioners are expected to see a 35 percent growth and other healthcare occupations are expected to see a 12 percent growth, according to the report.
The report, based on 2007 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and 2008 Interindustry Economic Research Foundation data, does not account for proposed healthcare reform. The authors note that while healthcare reform is expected to reduce spending, the demand for workers will still remain.
Read the Preparing the Workers of Today for the Jobs of Tomorrow report (pdf).
