Ohio Healthcare Jobs Abundant

Ohio healthcare jobs are currently plentiful, and the number of open positions is only expected to grow.

The United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics shows in May 2008, the education and health services industry in Ohio had grown by 1.8 percent over the previous year. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services states Ohio employs an average of 653,700 people in healthcare and social assistance, and expects that number to reach 783,600 by 2014, an increase of 19.9 percent.

According to the ODJFS Ohio Job Outlook to 2014, healthcare jobs in Ohio will continue to grow.

"At a more detailed level, the fastest growing industry is expected to be community care facilities for the elderly with better than 50 percent growth expected between 2004 and 2014," the report states. "Two of the next three industries are also health care related. Demand for health care and social assistance will increase because of the growth of the older population."

The outlook also notes a large number of new jobs are projected in the private health care industry, most notably in nursing and residential care facilities with 27,000 jobs, offices of physicians with 24,200 jobs, hospitals with 23,700 and home health care services with 16,500 jobs.

Healthcare is expected to account for 23 percent of all job growth through 2014. Of the 10 fastest growing jobs in the state, nine are in healthcare or computer-related occupations.

Among the occupations with the most annual openings are: registered nurses at 4,630 openings making an average $26.09 per hour, nursing aides, orderlies and attendants with 1,994 openings at an average $10.79 per hour and home health aides with 1,973 openings at an average $9.42 per hour.

Among occupations in Ohio with high employment prospects, meaning the job pays at least $12 per hour and has at least 75 annual openings, are: medical secretaries, requiring post-secondary vocational training, with 752 annual openings and making $12,68 per hour and registered nurses, requiring an associates degree, with 4,630 annual openings and an average hourly wage of $26.09;

Some major healthcare employers in Ohio include: The Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth and University Hospitals in Cleveland; OhioHealth, Mount Carmel and the Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus; and Cincinnati Children's Hospital, TriHealth and Deaconess Hospital in Cincinnati.

According to the BLS, healthcare was the largest industry in 2006, providing 14 million jobs nationwide, including 13.6 million salary and wage jobs, and 438,000 self-employed jobs. Seven of the 20 fastest growing occupations are healthcare-related.

The healthcare industry is expected to create 3 million new salary and wage jobs through 2016, more than any other industry. There are currently about 580,000 establishments that make up the healthcare industry, and the BLS states nearly 77 percent of healthcare establishments are physicians, dentists, or other health practitioners’ offices. While hospitals make up about 1 percent of all health care establishments, they employ 35 percent of all healthcare workers.

The BLS ntoes employment growth is expected to account for about 3 million new wage and salary jobs, 20 percent of all wage and salary jobs added to the economy over the 2006-16 period. Projected rates of employment growth range from 13 percent in hospitals, the largest and slowest growing, to 55 percent in home health care services.