The latest projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
According to the latest 10-year projects from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, home health aides and personal and home care aides are still among the fastest-growing job categories in the nation.
Between 2008 and 2018, home health aide jobs are expected to grow by 50% and personal and home care jobs by 46%, making them the third- and fourth-fastest growing categories in the U.S. The only faster-growing job categories are biomedical engineer and network systems and data communications analyst.
Employment rates are expected to rise faster than average for nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants too, but at 19 percent, that category’s growth will lag far behind those of the home-based direct care occupations.
Psychiatric aides are expected to grow at a rate of just 6%, less than the average for all jobs. That growth is expected to take place mainly in residential facilities for people with developmental disabilities, mental illness, and substance abuse problems, although most psychiatric aides currently work in hospitals.
Related links
The BLS’s latest statistics on home health aides and personal and home care aide jobs
The BLS’s latest stats on nursing and psychiatric aide jobs
Elise Nakhnikian
Communications Director
Direct Care Alliance
