Healthcare Jobs in Michigan
Seemingly recession proof, healthcare jobs are on the rise in Michigan despite the fact that other industries continue to suffer. According to a recent study, employment in the state’s healthcare industry is currently the highest it has been in years.
The report, which is released every two years by the Partnership for Michigan’s Health, found that one out of every ten jobs in the state is now directly related to the healthcare industry. As of 2006, Michigan had around 515, 700 healthcare jobs.
There are various causes for the increase in employment in this industry both in Michigan and elsewhere in the nation. As the size of the population increases, healthcare providers are having to create new jobs to be able to keep up with patient demands. Likewise, the fact that the percentage of the population that is elderly is growing has caused a greater need for many healthcare jobs.
The rise in the number of healthcare jobs in Michigan is beginning to help offset the employment losses in the automotive manufacturing sector. In the three year time period if took for the data for the healthcare employment study to be compiled, the automotive industry reported a 17 percent loss in jobs. Aside from undoing this damage, the healthcare boom is also injecting approximately $26.3 billion in pay and benefits into Michigan’s economy.
President of the Michigan Osteopathic Association, Dr. Craig Magnatta said, in a statement released with the Partnership for Michigan’s Health report, that “Healthcare jobs are helping to put Michigan back on the path to prosperity.”
The number of healthcare jobs available in the state will likely continue to increase in the near future as many of those who currently employed by the industry near retirement age. Elsewhere in the country this phenomenon is causing an abundance of healthcare jobs where there are not enough qualified individuals to fill the vacant slots.