Health services is a very large sector of the U.S. economy. For most positions in this area (environmental health professionals, exercise and fitness instructors, community health educators, and nutritionists), the U.S. Department of Labor predicts growth to be “faster than average” or “much faster than average.” The University’s Health Sciences program broadly addresses this area of growth.
The Bureau summarizes growth in the health sector in the following terms:
“Health care will generate 3 million new wage and salary jobs between 2006 and 2016, more than any other industry. Seven of the twenty fastest growing occupations are health care related. Job opportunities should be good in all employment settings.”
“Wage and salary employment in the health care industry is projected to increase 22 percent through 2016, compared with 11 percent for all industries combined (table 3). Employment growth is expected to account for about 3 million new wage and salary jobs-20 percent of all wage and salary jobs added to the economy over the 2006-16 period. Projected rates of employment growth for the various segments of the industry range from 13 percent in hospitals, the largest and slowest growing industry segment, to 55 percent in the much smaller home health care services. “
Career areas broadly within the purview of the program are expected to grow. For example, the 2016 Statewide Occupational Forecast, developed by the Connecticut Department of Labor, predicts a 24.9 percent increase in jobs related to waste management and remediation services and a 12.8 percent increase in the education and health services sector.
A number of program graduates also will seek further professional education in healthcare. These areas are among the fastest growing in th overall economy.