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Title: Comparing the Socioeconomic Well-Being of Workers Across Healthcare Occupations
Citation Type: Miscellaneous
Publication Year: 2016
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Abstract: The U.S. healthcare industry has been an engine for job growth over the last couple of decades. Much of the job growth has occurred among healthcare occupations that require less than a bachelors degree, and are often referred to as low- and middle-skilled occupations. Healthcare occupations predominate among the twenty occupations with the fastest projected growth rate over the next decade according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).1 Many of these occupations are allied health occupations such as physical therapy assistants/aides, occupational therapy assistants/aides, and home health aides. These positions are common entry points for a healthcare career given their low education entry requirements. Federal agencies such as the Administration for Children and Families have taken notice of these growing job opportunities in healthcare, funding programs targeting recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and other low-income groups to train for entry-level healthcare occupations.2 Also, the topic of how to move people into jobs requiring less than a bachelors degree in healthcare has been discussed in several forums held by the countrys leading researchers.3 As the U.S. healthcare system seeks to reduce costs, employers are finding new and creative ways to use individuals in low- and middleskilled positions who are less costly to employ.4-9 Questions are emerging about the quality of these positions, especially in settings that rely heavily on low- and middle-skilled occupations, such as long-term care. There is concern about whether the country is building a health system on a weak workforce foundation. A recent report found that despite high demand for long-term care workers, individuals had been exiting long-term care at a high rate and moving into unemployment or out of the labor force altogether; in addition, these individuals had high rates of disability and poverty.10 There is growing apprehension among researchers that greater reliance on a low-skilled workforce without adequate pay may lead to high turnover, which can disrupt continuity of care and contribute to poor quality of care.11-13 Labor economists14 have studied the deficiencies in socioeconomic well-being of workers across occupation skill levels. Less attention has been given to the socioeconomic well-being of individuals working in healthcare, which may be an important contributor to turnover. In this study, we examined socioeconomic well-being, defined as being above the federal poverty level, having health insurance, and not relying on state/federal assistance programs, among individuals working in healthcare. We categorized healthcare workers according to the education requirements of their occupation, which allows us to determine whether socioeconomic well-being varies by skill.
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Authors: Frogner, Bianca K; Skillman, Susan M; Patterson, Davis G; Snyder, Cyndy R
Publisher: Center for Health Workforce Studies
Data Collections: IPUMS CPS
Topics: Labor Force and Occupational Structure
Countries: United States