According to recent projections released by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), registered nurses (RNs) and personal care/home health aides (HHAs) are two of the fastest growing occupations-with RNs ranking seventh and HHAs ranking ninth. The stats project that overall nursing positions will increase by 22% while positions for personal care aides and HHAs will increase by 58%. Systems analysts topped the list; these positions are expected to increase by 94%.
Industry rankings revealed that home care is one of the five fastest-growing industries-ranking third behind computer and data processing services and health services not otherwise classified. According to the BLS, employment in the home care industry is expected to increase 57% by 2008-expanding from 747,000 positions to 1.17 million positions.
The BLS's 10-year projections are widely used to provide career guidance, plan education and training programs, and study long-range employment trends. Overall, total employment is projected to increase by 14% between 1998 and 2008, which is 3% less than the previous 10-year period of 1988-1998.
Source: "Home Health and Personal Care Among Ten Fastest Growing Occupations," January 30, 2001, Home Health Provider.com