Health Care is one of the largest industry clusters in Snohomish County, providing over 29,000 jobs as of April 2010.
The majority of occupations projected to grow the fastest in Snohomish County in the coming decade are concentrated in Health Care. Further, Health Care offers some of the highest salaries in the county, with eight of the top ten highest paying occupations in the county coming from this cluster.
Employment within the cluster increased 31% from 2002 and 4% percent from 2009, mirroring state trends of growth during an economic downturn.
Despite stable employment and competitive wages, Health Care is desperate for qualified workers. This cluster has seen some of the largest skills gaps and workforce shortages, with more job openings than there are qualified applicants to fill the positions.
Though the shortage of Health Care workers affects most fields, special emphasis is currently being placed on nurses and the attraction of a more diverse workforce.
The Health Care cluster focuses on:
- Offices of physicians
- Offices of dentists
- Other health care practitioners
- Outpatient care centers
- Home health care services
- Ambulatory services
- General medical and surgical hospitals
- Psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals
- Speciality hospitals
- Nursing care facilities
- Residential mental retardation, mental health, and substance abuse facilities
- Community care facilities for the elderly
- Other residential care facilities
- Individual and family services
- Community food and housing, and emergency and other relief services
- Vocational rehabilitaiton services
- Child day care services
