Add a Department of Labor blog earlier this month to the efforts undertaken to attract more people to jobs in healthcare, including positions often found in senior living and other parts of long-term care. And to the evidence that the workforce crisis facing providers could get even worse.
“You will have many job opportunities since overall employment in healthcare occupations is projected to grow 13% from 2021 to 2031, much faster than the average for all occupations,” the post told prospective job-seekers. The blog was written to coincide with World Health Day, April 7.
In fact, much of the growth in healthcare jobs will be due to the aging population and the fact that more people are living with chronic diseases, said the piece’s authors, Emily Krutsch and Javier Colato, economists in the department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. Of two million new jobs over the coming decade, approximately 60% will be in healthcare support occupations.
The prospect of working in healthcare, however, will be more attractive to some than others. The blog noted that although the median annual wage for positions (such as registered nurse) that typically require an advanced degree for entry pay more than the median annual wage for all occupations, healthcare support occupations (such as nursing assistants) had a median annual wage that was lower than the median annual wage for all occupations.
“Home health and personal care aide” was one of 10 job categories singled out by the Labor Department as being projected to grow the fastest from 2021 to 2031. With 2021 annual median pay of $29,430 and a high school diploma or equivalent typically needed to work in the role, there were more than 3.4 million such positions in 2021, the DOL said. Projected growth from 2021 to 2031 is 25.4%, with an annual average of 711,700 openings during that time.
Some of the other healthcare occupations on the list include nurse practitioners (45.7% projected growth), physician assistants (27.6%), physical therapist assistants (26.5%), occupational therapist assistants (25.4%), speech language pathologists (21.3%), massage therapists (20%), physical therapist aides (18.8%), genetic counselors (18.2%) and athletic trainers (17.5%).
All of these statistics might sound like reasons to celebrate for those looking to work in healthcare. And they could be. But they’re also reminders of the challenges that still face employers in senior living and other long-term care settings.
Lois A. Bowers is the editor of McKnight’s Senior Living. Read her other columns here.
