From February to March, profession added 9,000 new jobs -
Washington, DC – As the 10th largest employer in the nation, the long term and post-acute care profession welcomed the announcement today from the Department of Labor that the unemployment rate fell to a two year low of 8.8%.
“The creation of 216,000 new jobs last month is encouraging news in this battered economy,” stated Governor Mark Parkinson, President and CEO of the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL). “We in the long term and post-acute care profession are proud to be a contributor to the nation’s labor force, creating 9,000 new jobs from February to March of this year. That figure promises only to grow throughout 2011 as Baby Boomers begin to retire and the health needs of America’s Greatest Generation rise. We stand ready to do our part.”
BACKGROUND: The long term care profession created 63,000 new jobs in 2010 – an increase of 13,000 from the 50,000 jobs the profession created in 2009. In addition to being a stable job force – long term care directly employs 3.1 million individuals – the profession is also a significant contributor to the economy, supporting 3.7% of the nation’s GDP, according to a report compiled using Impact Analysis for Planning (IMPLAN) software. These contributions are only expected to grow, with the Administration on Aging projecting that by 2030, there will be 72 million people aged 65 or older in the U.S. — more than double the number who comprised that age group in the year 2000.
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) represent more than 11,000 non-profit and proprietary skilled nursing centers, assisted living communities, sub-acute centers and homes for individuals with intellectual and development disabilities. By delivering solutions for quality care, AHCA/NCAL aims to improve the lives of the millions of frail, elderly and individuals with disabilities who receive long term or post-acute care in our member facilities each day. For more information, please visit www.ahca.org or www.ncal.org.