US PT SHORTAGE IS GROWING

The Physical Therapy job market has long been predicted to be an area ripe for US labor shortages.  The 2014 Occupational Outlook Handbook projects that employment of Physical Therapists is expected to grow by 36 percent through 2022, which is “mush faster than the average for all occupations.”

The Conference Board’s new study From Not Enough Jobs to Not Enough Workers now reports that aging populations will cause even greater shortages than originally predicted in three targeted industries.  In a surprise to no one, healthcare is one of these three targeted industries. 

The press release from the study says that:

Health-related occupations. The same aging of the U.S. population that will curtail working-age population growth to as low as 0.15 percent by 2030 is also driving up demand for medical workers. At the same time, high education and experience requirements limit entry into the job market. The result is a dearth in many healthcare professions, including occupational therapy assistants, physical therapists and therapist assistants, nurse practitioners and midwives, and dental hygienists. Among doctors, optometrists and podiatrists are the specialists most at risk of shortage, with the general physicians and surgeons category not far behind.

The study has been cited in the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Businessweek, and PT in Motion.