Future Bright for Health Care, Hospitality Jobs

By Patrick Wright, North County Times, Escondido, Calif.

May 25–NORTH COUNTY —- Area students pondering their future would be wise to consider the health care and hospitality fields. Gary Moss, labor market information specialist for the San Diego Workforce Partnership, told local business and labor agency representatives that those two fields showed the most growth for the county’s employment future.

Moss said the demand for health care workers is going to be larger than usual.

“It happens, but not to the degree it’s going to happen in the next 10 to 15 years as the baby boomers move through the system,” Moss said.

Moss spoke about San Diego County’s 2006 Outlook report at the monthly meeting of the Escondido Workforce Roundtable on Wednesday. The report is an analysis of 39 occupations examining job growth, salary expectations and training opportunities.

Hospitality topped the employment list with a predicted growth rate of 27 percent, followed by health care at 24 percent. Moss said it was a good time for high school and college graduates to enter the work force because baby boomers are going to be retiring and needing specialty services such as health care. “Baby boomers” is the name given to almost 80 million Americans born after World War II, one of the largest generations in U.S. history.

However, the report noted that 64 percent of San Diego County companies surveyed for the report said they didn’t plan to replace retired workers.

Currently, the 160,756 countywide hospitality employees working in 7,330 companies represent 13 percent to 15 percent of the local work force. That field’s job growth is predicted to increase in positions such as waitresses and bartenders.

Gary Knight, president and chief executive officer of the San Diego North Economic Development Council, said the report is a valuable asset for high school graduates searching out a career.

“It gives a clear picture to the incoming graduates of where they should put their energies,” Knight said.

One opportunity highlighted in the presentation was dental hygienist. Moss said the position is the highest-paying entry level job in the area, with starting wages as high as $35 an hour, and it is going to see a major shortage in the next six years.

Overall, the health care industry is predicted to grow 24 percent in positions such as registered nurses and dental assistants. Other positions where shortages are expected until at least 2010 are licensed nurses and radiologic technicians.

A registered nurse was listed high on the report’s job categories with a possible starting salary near $50,000 and the chance to earn more than $200,000 after several years on the job. Also, it was one of the jobs listed as most impacted by an aging work force.

Cal State San Marcos has a nursing program starting this fall to help meet the local need for nurses, and MiraCosta College is starting a two-semester nursing program in mid-2007 to help 36 vocational nurses become registered nurses.

Health care job increases are particularly relevant to the North County area because three hospitals have raised, or are trying to raise, about $2 billion for new construction and expansion.

Tri-City Hospital is trying to raise about $600 million to tear down its existing facility in Oceanside and build a new hospital on the same site through Proposition F on the June 6 ballot. Palomar Pomerado Health System is preparing to spend nearly $1 billion, from a combination of bonds approved by voters, revenue bonds, cash and some fundraising, to build a new hospital; renovate the existing Palomar Medical Center; double the size of Pomerado Hospital; and build satellite medical centers. Also, Scripps Memorial Hospital, Encinitas, plans to start its $124 million expansion project this summer.

Moss said another occupation that looks to increase in the next few years is photovoltaic technician, the technical name for solar panel experts. The technicians install and repair solar paneling, an increasing field as alternative energy sources become more and more popular with the rising costs of gasoline and other traditional energy sources.

Along with statistics on job income and growth, the report listed several skill requirements of current and future jobs. The report said that workers would need to combine computer and writing skills with less, education-relevant skills. It listed creative thinking, problem solving, personal motivation and knowledge of other cultures as skills prized for future jobs.

To view the report, please go to the San Diego Workforce Partnership Web site at www.SanDiegoAtWork.com.

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Copyright (c) 2006, North County Times, Escondido, Calif.

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