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Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Economy The Fastest Growing Job in America?

Posted by Charles Mudede on Tue, Mar 12, 2013 at 7:42 AM

Taking care of old people. CNN has the story:

The fastest growing job in America pays poorly. Meet home health care aides.
These nearly 2 million (mostly minorities and women) workers do everything from prepare meals and clean homes, to bathe and change bedpans for elderly and disabled patients.

As Baby Boomers age, this job is expected to explode, growing 70% between 2010 and 2020, according to the Labor Department. That makes it the single fastest growing job in the United States, according to their forecasts.

The average hourly wage for this kind of work is $9.70, which adds up to about $20,000 a year for those who are lucky enough to work full-time. People who care for the old have this in common with people who care for children: they are paid less than parking attendants.

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Well, to be fair, if my grandmother gets scratched, it basically just fixes itself, but if my car gets scratched, I have to pay for the repair.

Posted by Theodore Gorath on March 12, 2013 at 8:09 AM

Some of my callow youth was spent as a home care aide through the Fremont Public Association, paid badly to help good people who were disabled, housebound and massively lonely. I hated every fucking minute of that job, and admire tremendously those who do it well.

Posted by gloomy gus on March 12, 2013 at 8:23 AM

Remember in The Graduate when Dustin Hoffman's character was told the future was plastics?

One of the biggest jobs in the future will be geriatrics. From law, to accounting, to management, and yes, health care, there are going to be millions of Baby Boomer who will need geriatric services.

You can't outsource the work and it's very, very hands on.

And, these people are going to be living even longer and there's a big difference between old and elderly.

Posted by westello on March 12, 2013 at 9:36 AM

Our country values gambling (i.e., bankers and investors) and entertainment over health and education.

The U.S. is good at waging war and making movies, that's about it.

People who think we're the "greatest country on Earth" are delusional.

Posted by Urgutha Forka on March 12, 2013 at 10:01 AM

It's kind of sweet that Charles believes we will actually take care of our elderly.

Posted by Gus on March 12, 2013 at 10:17 AM

put the old folks and the underpaid punks tending to them into apodments and be done with it.

Forward Seattle!

Posted by south downtown on March 12, 2013 at 10:41 AM

@5 The elderly with financial assets will be taken care of because of, um, those financial assets. That's why retirement accounts are so important, and why the Great Recession may end up costing lives for decades.

Posted by Sir Vic on March 12, 2013 at 11:41 AM

My grandmother had a home health care aide. Mind you, my grandmother was a millionaire.

Posted by Will in Seattle

on March 12, 2013 at 12:34 PM

Do you want someone making $9.70 an hour the person who has to respond to your elderly needs? That diaper could stay on for days - and the bed sores. Holy crap.

Nursing home aide is the crappiest job you can image. They need to get a living wage.

Posted by Bauhaus I on March 12, 2013 at 1:00 PM