Officials: Employment to increase 10 percent by 2016
By BRETT DUNLAP, bdunlap@newsandsentinel.comPARKERSBURG - Over the next few years, there will be a demand for people trained in medical-related professions and specific skills needed to run industries that will emerge in the future.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment is expected to increase from 150.6 million in 2006 to 166.2 million in 2016, or by10 percent. The 15.6 million jobs to be added by 2016 will not be evenly distributed across major industrial and occupational groups, officials said, adding changes in consumer demand, technology and many other factors will contribute to the continually changing employment structure in the U.S. economy.
Although the downturn in the economy has curtailed some immediate hirings, skilled people will be needed in health care careers, said Sandy Swisher, director of career services at West Virginia University at Parkersburg.
''There will always be a need for anything related to health,'' she said. ''There will be a whole gambit of positions within the health care field.''
As the baby-boomers continue to grow older, there will be an increasing need for people trained in nursing and for pharmacists and in other fields to cover growing needs, Swisher said.
The BLS reports jobs in the health care fields are expected to grow by 25.4 percent, about 4 million new jobs by 2016.
Employment growth will be driven by increasing demand for health care and social assistance because of an aging population and longer life expectations, BLS officials said, adding as more women enter the labor force, demand for childcare services are also expected to grow.
Lenora Binegar, medical advisor at Washington County Career Center, said many students in their medical assistance programs have been able to find jobs by the time they graduate. Medical technicians, people trained in medical administrative work as well as clinical work, have all been able to find employment.
''The key is having qualified personnel who are well rounded,'' Binegar said.
