Posts Tagged ‘Dental hygienists’

The Recession Lingers On and the Casualties Are Mounting

July 23rd, 2010

Despite the upbeat news America ails on

Like any serious illness or disease, recovery is slow and relapses keep occurring. America may be out of the ICU but the patient’s bed is stuck in some draughty corridor and the weak patient catches every evil germ and cold wind that passes. Just how long is this recovery going to take doctor? But there are no doctors in this corridor.

The one day a week recovery plan

On one day every week the stock exchange makes a dramatic recovery adding hundreds of dollars to my little portfolio. The other 4 days it drops, eating away that one day rise, so that at the end of the week I am back in square one. My little haberdashery business is behaving the same way. One day a week I have a great business. The store is crowded with women, milling about, smiling and buying. The other 4 days I may as well not be there.  It has been doing this for some months now and it’s time to switch to plan B: a career change.

On the grapevine

This is what I am hearing about for the women who are looking for jobs in fields that are growing. Researcher Laurence Shatkin, author of Best Jobs for the 21st Century, analyzed Bureau of Labor Statistics data to determine the fastest-growing jobs for women.

Health care jobs

Health care jobs dominate the list. Topping the list are Home Health Aides. The job market for this specialty is expected to increase by 50% through 2018, and women currently make up 88% of this job force. A home health aide visits elderly, disabled or ill patients in their homes or in medical facilities, and helps with such day-to-day tasks as housekeeping, grooming, dressing and meal preparation. This job is often a part-time one which means that the women can continue to care for their own families. The downside is the low pay. Home health aides earn a median of $20,500 per year and those in the top 90% of the field earn just $29,500 yearly.

Dental hygienists

In other health-related jobs, dental hygienists are experiencing a 36% job growth and earn an average of $67,500 per year. Work schedules are flexible and the hygienist can often make appointments to suit herself. Similarly, occupational therapists are experiencing a 26% growth and earn a median salary of $69,500.

Administrative

Most of the growth within the health care industry is administrative. Shatkin explains that the new health care legislation and the aging baby boomer population will contribute to the growth of a field that currently employs 14 million workers, and is expected to add another 3 million jobs by 2018.

Other jobs

Outside of the health care industry, the jobs that are currently in demand and pay a median annual salary of $40,000 or more are athletic trainers, paralegals and legal assistants and instructional coordinators, those that assess and improve the quality of school teachers, curriculum and technology.

Tags: Career change, Dental hygienists, Home Health Aides, Women’s jobs
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