Notwithstanding December’s rare decline in the nation’s healthcare jobs, the sector is expected to be one of the strongest areas of employment growth through 2014 and beyond.
Healthcare has been growing rapidly over the last several years. When sector after sector of the national economy was cutting jobs, healthcare was growing.
Even with the 6,000 job loss, healthcare added 208,000 jobs in 2013; an average of 17,300 a month in 2013. It’s also possible that when the government issues its January jobs report and updates prior months, December’s healthcare numbers could turn into a positive.
Within the broad healthcare category, some jobs are more in demand than others. Nurses are the most in demand. But among registered nurses, some specialties are harder to fill than others, and so, as might be expected, those jobs pay a premium.
An analysis of healthcare jobs by CareerBuilder and its healthcare specialty site, MiracleWorkers.com, produced a list of the top 10 medical-related jobs that grew the fastest in the last three years, pay the most, have at least 30,000 total jobs, are projected to grow faster this year, than other healthcare specialties.
Here’s the list:
1. Diagnostic medical sonographer
Total employment in 2013: 60,273
Added 5,672 jobs from 2010-2013, up 10 percent
Median hourly earnings: $31.77
2. Medical scientist (excluding epidemiologist)
Total employment in 2013: 100,742
Added 9,076 jobs from 2010-2013, up 10 percent
Median hourly earnings: $37.09
3. Physical therapist assistant
Total employment in 2013: 72,445
Added 6,388 jobs from 2010-2013, up 10 percent
Median hourly earnings: $25.08
4. Nurse anesthetist
Total employment in 2013: 36,179
Added 3,010 jobs from 2010-2013, up 9 percent
Median hourly earnings: $71.43
5. Marriage and family therapist
Total employment in 2013: 42,238
Added 3,056 jobs from 2010-2013, up 8 percent
Median hourly earnings: $22.40
6. Physical therapist
Total employment in 2013: 208,096
Added 14,975 jobs from 2010-2013, up 8 percent
Median hourly earnings: $37.96
7. Nurse practitioner
Total employment in 2013: 110,545
Added 7,832 jobs from 2010-2013, up 8 percent
Median hourly earnings: $43.26
8. Health educator
Total employment in 2013: 58,626
Added 3,599 jobs from 2010-2013, up 7 percent
Median hourly earnings: $23.46
9. Occupational therapist
Total employment in 2013: 113,478
Added 6,368 jobs from 2010-2013, up 6 percent
Median hourly earnings: $36.27
10. Respiratory therapist
Total employment in 2013: 120,082
Added 6,728 jobs from 2010-2013, up 6 percent
Median hourly earnings: $26.86