Graduates with a degree in the field of healthcare face good career prospects as one of the most in-demand groups for new jobs. According to a survey of job advertisements posted online from the Conference Board's Help-Wanted Online Data Series, healthcare is the occupation with the highest demand for qualified new recruits. Some 219,000 healthcare posts were advertised during the survey period, ahead of management positions and computer and mathematical jobs. Conference Board economist Gad Levanon noted: "Many jobs in high demand are also, on average, among the highest paying occupations." According to the Department of Labor, healthcare careers can cover a variety of fields, nursing and medicine to pharmacy, massage therapy and counseling. In 2006, healthcare was the biggest industry in the US, employing 14 million people. It is also forecast to be the biggest-growing industry between 2006 and 2016, creating an additional three million jobs. Around 40 per cent of the wage and salaried healthcare jobs are based in hospitals, the department said. Professional and service occupations, such as physicians, surgeons, dentists, physical therapists and licensed nurses, make up the biggest proportion of healthcare workers.  |