Discouraged Workers Should Snag Health Care Careers
Thousands of people who lost jobs during the recession have given up and are no longer even looking for a job.
After months of sending out resumes and making phone calls, they grew discouraged and stopped. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) counted 793,000 of these ‘discouraged workers’ in June 2009. But there may be a brighter day coming for those who choose it.
And who can blame these folks; unemployment is high and employee morale is low. On top of that, the BLS has painted a bleak picture of joblessness in this weak, but slowly recovering, economy.
Yet many employment sectors are losing jobs at a slower rate, which gives hope to those who are banking on a better economy not too far down the road.
And surprisingly, one major industry continues beat the odds by adding new jobs each month.
For June 2009, lost jobs included:
- 136,000 in manufacturing
- 79,000 in construction
- 335,000 in motor vehicles and parts
- 8,000 in mining
- 118,000 in professional and business services
- 21,000 in retail trade
- 27,000 in financial activities
- 21,000 in the information industry
However, there was good news for one major employment sector;
- 21,000 new jobs were added to health care
The BLS reports that the health care industry added an average of 21,000 jobs a month throughout 2009. And in 2008, during some of the worse days of the recession, they added approximately 30,000 jobs a month.
So now, a message to those ‘discouraged workers’. This time off from work may be the best opportunity to consider switching career fields to the one that has remained a bright spot in an otherwise dim economy — health care.
It has proven itself to be a reliable and consistent career area; and a future in this field is promising for those who return to school to train for health care jobs, especially as registered nurses.
To top things off, preparation for some health care careers involves a short investment of as little as 12 months in a traditional or online degree program – for example, the training to become a licensed vocational or licensed practical nurses takes about a year.
Other health care careers may take an even shorter time to complete — just a few months of classes before snagging a job in a hospital or convalescent home as a nurse’s aide, surgical technician, medical billing clerk, medical receptionist, emergency medical technician or phlebotomist (a health care worker trained to draw blood). Then, while working one of these jobs, workers can continue their education online, with employers often footing the bill.
Low cost tuition fees, federal grants and private scholarships are available for qualified students who have lost their jobs; so affordability is not always a problem.
If you are without a job, now is the time to check into some of these accredited programs for your ticket to a promising job in the growing health care industry.
Then you will be a discouraged worker no more.
career, education, health care, hospital, jobs, medical billing, nursing, online classes, scholarships, snag a job, students, unemployment, online degree program, ticket, brighter day, tuition
Popularity: 8% [?]
Posted by vida
December 15th, 2009 at 7:15 am
This article seemed like a bad joke. I do fall into the discouraged worker category, and I would like nothing more than to get some training in the health care field and get a job. Your idea of “low cost tuition” and my idea of affordable training seem to be worlds apart. Are you really suggesting that someone who’s been out of work for an extended period of time to simply “go back to school?” Bear in mind that these people have been out of work, which has not stopped their bills from coming and has drainined their life savings. As for federal aid, that’s an even bigger joke.