The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently released optimistic data that healthcare jobs are bouncing back to 2007 -– pre-recession — numbers, reports the Wall Street Journal blog.
The BLS monthly employment report indicated the healthcare industry added 31,300 new jobs in July. During the past year, healthcare employment has grown by 299,000, reports the WSJ. Hospitals specifically added 14,000 jobs during the month, after experiencing 2,000 job losses the previous month.
Ambulatory healthcare services also added 14,100 jobs in July, with increases in physician offices (6,300 more jobs) and home healthcare services (3,100 more jobs). However, outpatient care centers saw a decrease of 500 jobs.
Nationally, healthcare jobs are hot and demand shows no signs of slowing, according to The 2011 Compensation Data Healthcare survey.
“While many industries are struggling to bring employment levels back to pre-recession numbers, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the number of jobs in the healthcare industry will increase by 22 percent between 2008 and 2018,” said Amy Kaminski, director of marketing for Compdata Surveys, which conducted the survey, based on data from more than 1,100 employers at nearly 5,300 locations across the country. “With this kind of growth projected within the industry, employers are not only going to have to ensure compensation packages are competitive enough to attract new talent, but also ensure they are competitive enough to hold onto existing talent as well.”
The survey also noted that salaries in the healthcare industry have risen appreciably. For example, results found the average base salary for occupational therapists has increased 6.3 percent since 2009.
Physical therapy assistants have also seen salary increases of nearly 6 percent since 2009, while EMTs have seen a spike in pay of 5.3 percent. The pay for staff nurses has steadily continued to increase, going to $57,600 in 2011 from $55,300 in 2009. Staff pharmacist salaries have risen from $106,200 to $111,400, which is an increase of 4.9 percent.