Research Careers

What are workforce trends and why are they important?
What does the future health workforce look like?  Where will the jobs be?  What type of work will I be expected to do and in what settings?  These are all important questions when thinking about the type of career you might be interested in pursuing.  Some of these are somewhat predictable.  For example, we know that we have an aging population, and between now and 2050 we can expect to see more and more people living longer – even into their 100’s.  This will have a significant impact on the type and amount of healthcare needed.  At the same time, predicting job availability is a little like predicting the weather.  You can never be entirely sure what conditions might shift quickly resulting in a change in job patterns.

How should you use workforce trend data in choosing a career?
Given the unpredictable nature of employment, it is rarely advisable to choose a career that you may not even enter until you’ve finished four-twelve years of school because their will be job openings.  At the same time exploring jobs, and the types of work that may be in high demand will often help you determine if that fits with your own interest and skills.  For example, as mentioned above, we know there will be a growing need for people to work with our aging population.  We also know which diseases and injuries tend to afflict the elderly.  Therefore, if you have an existing interest in either working with the elderly, or a particular disease like Alzheimer’s, you might want to think about a career that takes that into consideration. 

Where do I find workforce trend data?
To see specific workforce trend data for a specific region or state it is wise to look at the Department of employment or labor for that state.  In addition, in many cases the Department of Health will collect and sort data on specific professions, especially those that require licensure.  Another source of data are professional associations at both a state or national level (e.g. American Medical Association, American Nurses Association etc.)

Additional Resources

• Department of Employment and Economic Development www.deed.state.mn.us/lmi/careers.htm
• Career Info Net
• Wages and employment trends for specific fields www.acinet.org/acinet/select_occupation.asp?stfips=undefined&next=occ_rep
• The Arbor Institute – research on workforce trends - www.arboret.com/index.htm