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Ark. (KAIT) – A dramatic shift in the nation’s workforce is underway, as retail job losses collide with a surge in healthcare hiring
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the healthcare sector has added about 72,000 jobs over the past three months. Over the last year, healthcare employment has grown by more than 390,000 jobs nationwide
Retail, meanwhile, is headed in the opposite direction. It gained roughly 10,000 jobs over the past year but lost nearly twice that amount in just the last month
Dean Shane Speights of the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University says this isn’t just a simple case of workers moving from store registers to hospital floors
He says two big forces drive the healthcare shortage: burnout in the medical field and an aging population that needs more care. Simultaneously, technology advancements slice away retail jobs in a way that’s much harder to replicate in healthcare
“What’s driving the need for medical is the high demand,” Speights said
That demand, he adds, is fueled by the deeply personal nature of healthcare
“In healthcare, because it’s more personalized, and we do see an aging population, the demand is expected to continue for the next several decades,” he said
For anyone considering a career change, Speights says now is the time to look seriously at healthcare
“This is a really good time for individuals who are thinking about a career in healthcare to be looking at the options there,” he said
That pipeline can start early. High school programs such as Health Occupations Students of America give teenagers hands-on exposure to medical careers and, in some cases, a head start on credentials
“There are even some innovative ways that you can get some certificate programs upon graduation, so that you can even kind of try to see what healthcare might be like,” Speights said
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