New healthcare jobs to be half of total in next decade

Facing much slower national job growth in the next 10 years than the past 10, the US will see healthcare occupations lead the way in employment, a new report from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics released last week predicts.

Although the bureau economists do not cite locales, Florida in general and Miami-Dade in particular have seen health and medicine demands growing far faster than the nation as a whole.

Among the findings are that “the healthcare and social assistance sector and the management of companies and enterprises sector are projected to experience the fastest employment growth between 2022 and 2032. The aging population and prevalence of chronic conditions are the main drivers of the strong projected growth for the healthcare and social assistance sector.”

The sector is expected to add 9.7% more jobs in the decade, more than triple the job growth rate for the total economy, the researchers say. Total wage and salary employment growth for the nation in that period is expected to be 3%.

Healthcare and social assistance are projected to account for the most new jobs, 2.1 million out of the national total 4.7 million.

In occupational groups, healthcare support is expected to see “the fastest employment growth and to add the most jobs of any employment group” over the decade, the report says. “Together with the healthcare practitioners and technical occupational group, these two healthcare groups account for roughly two of every five new jobs projected to be added over 2022-2032.”

In looking at employment growth rates by occupational group, fastest in the nation is expected to be healthcare support, adding 15.4% to the sector’s job total in the decade, just ahead of computer and mathematical job growth at 15.2%. Immediately behind those two, the third-fastest growth rate is expected to be healthcare practitioners and health technical workers at 8%. Personal care and service is expected to grow 6.1% in total jobs. The growth rate for all jobs in the nation is projected at 2.8% for the decade.

In terms of total jobs by occupation, largest growth in the nation is projected to be home health and personal care aides, adding 804,600 jobs in the decade. That group alone will comprise 13% of the nation’s total new jobs.

Fifth-highest growth is expected to be in registered nurses, with 177,400 more jobs. There will be 144,700 more jobs for medical and health services managers (projected to be the largest growing occupation in the nation’s management occupational group), 118,600 more for nurse practitioners, and 105,900 more for medical assistants, the report projects. All of these are among the nation’s 15 largest job additions by occupation.

The offices of physical, occupational and speech therapists, and audiologists industry is projected to be the second-fastest-growing industry within the healthcare and social assistance sector. As people age, the risk of having some form of disability increases, the report notes.

“In addition to aging and chronic conditions, patient demand for specific healthcare services is another factor expected to drive strong employment growth,” the report says. “This is the case for complementary and alternative medicine therapies, which are growing in popularity to maintain overall wellness and to treat various medical conditions.”

The report says that a total employment last year of 21,639,300 persons in industries related to healthcare and social assistance will rise to 23,739,600 in 2032, up 9.7%.

Within that group, the fastest-growing categories are projected to be jobs for nurse practitioners, up 44.5% to 384,900 jobs; service for the elderly and disabled, up 29% to 2,776,000 jobs; medical and health services managers, up 28.4% to 654,200 jobs; offices of physical, occupational and speech therapists, and audiologists, up 28.2% to 575,200 jobs; and physician assistants, up 26.5% to 187,300 jobs.