While home health aide is one of the fastest growing occupations nationwide, a new report shows that growth will fall even shorter of meeting the increasing demand than some anticipated.
 
Home health aide jobs are expected to grow by 47% by the year 2026, according to the most recent projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics. But according to the report from health care staffing consultant Mercer, there still will be a projected shortage of 446,300 home health aides by 2025.
 
“More than half of the new jobs forecasted by BLS – about 1.6 million combined – will come from employment of Personal Care Aides, Home Health Aides, and Registered Nurses, driven by an American population that’s trending older, sicker, and more sedentary,” according to Mercer.
 
Even so, Mercer analysis goes on to say, “It’s in precisely these high-growth jobs where our analysis shows likely gaps in demand and supply of workers.”
 
Supply and demand varies for home health jobs depending upon the region, state or specific area, according to the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC).
 
Job growth in the home health industry is nothing new, according to a report by Deloitte. Between 2000 and 2016, about 728,800 jobs were created in home health, the Deloitte report shows.