The most in-demand job for 2017 is home health aide, according to a new report from CareerCast, which uses numbers from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The report expects there will be 348,400 new openings for home health aides between now and the end of 2024, easily the most in the United States. That is a growth outlook of 38 percent, also the highest of any job.
Due to the aging of the baby boomer generation and what is often called the “silver tsunami,” the four most in-demand jobs in the survey are all in the health care sector. Following home health aide, they are:
- Physical therapist, with 71,800 more jobs from now through 2024;
- Emergency medical technician, with 58,500 more jobs from now through 2024;
- Nurse practitioner, with 53,400 more jobs from now through 2024.
However, if you add up the additional jobs for physical therapist, EMT and nurse practitioner from now through 2024, you still have only slightly more than half of the home health aide jobs that will need to be filled during the same time period.
The fifth-most in-demand job according to BLS statistics is web developer, followed by occupational therapist. However, the seventh-most in-demand job is right back in the health care field, with 28,700 jobs for physicians’ assistants to be created. The ninth-most in-demand job is diagnostic medical sonographer and the last job in the top ten most in-demand jobs of 2017 is optician.
While it is not news that jobs in home health will be plentiful in the future (see a recent NAHC Report article on the subject HERE), rarely do we see how huge the future demand will be, completely outstripping the demand for other jobs, even in the red-hot health care sector. However, as most people in home health and hospice know, while the jobs are and will be plentiful, it is not always easy to fill those jobs. America is facing a critical caregiver shortage (see recent NAHC Report article HERE) that vastly complicates the future of home health and hospice and quality of care for our rapidly aging population.
NAHC is trying to help, however. If you have not checked it out already, please have a look at the NAHC Home Care & Hospice Career Center, a place for agencies and job seekers to connect with each other. Whether you are a home care or hospice owner or manager looking for qualified and caring staff or job-seeker looking to contribute your skills to the industry, you can turn to this unique employment forum and find what you need.
The “silver tsunami” wants to age in place, in their own homes and communities, surrounded by friends, family and the familiar comforts of home. This promises a big boost in business for home care agencies, but only if they can find the right staff to meet the demands of the new pool of retirees. With help from the NAHC Career Center, agencies can find the right fit to ensure their future and the future health and prosperity of our country and its people.
