U Weekly. Serving The Ohio State University in Columbus Ohio

Lower-skilled jobs might be more desirable in next decade

By Stacey Laskin

In 2009, jobs were, well, less than abundant. But in 2010, national and local economists are optimistic about the future, which offers new - though perhaps not traditionally sought-after - jobs.

Technology and the aging "Baby Boomer" population have created growth in the health-care sector - particularly in the fields of nursing, home-care and home-health care, said Sandy Meisel, the director of marketing and communications for The Ohio State University College of Nursing.

While nursing has traditionally required intensive training, a home-care or home-health aide does not even need a college degree, according to Deborah Larsen, the director of the OSU School of Allied Medical Professions, which trains students to provide home-physical and occupational therapy.

While Larsen said the lack of required education for non-therapy home care is unlikely to change, a Harvard University labor economist, Larry Katz, disagreed. Katz said the country could professionalize these jobs in order to command higher salaries and offer better patient care.

Vickie Craft, the "homemaker" supervisor at a local home-care agency, LifeCare Alliance, explained how positions with similar titles required different levels of education. In Columbus, some home-service agencies require home-health aides to obtain a nursing aide certificate. But most home-care aides, even if employed by an agency, are not required to complete any skills courses.

At LifeCare Alliance, home-care aides (or "homemakers") help the disabled and the elderly with household chores and errands such as laundry, picking up groceries and light cleaning.

Certified home-health aides monitor patients' health, bathe patients and provide mouth and skin care.

Craft said only Columbus State Community College offers certificate programs to prepare students for home-health jobs. Larsen said OSU hasn't made changes and has no plans to add a specific home-care prep major or degree.

This may be because the OSU nursing school is already "very prestigious," as junior nursing student Valerie Stern said. According to Stern, most students do not worry about obtaining nursing employment after graduation, despite talk of Congressional changes to the national health-care system.

"The school has basically led us to believe that we're going to get any job we want," she said. But it is possible that as the industry changes, "people who work in home-health care will get paid more than a hospital nurse" because they provide specialized care in the home and might need to bring their own supplies or equipment.

One nursing student, senior Erin Ferlet, said she is even working as a home-care aide while in school to supplement her education. However, once she graduates, she plans to work as a nurse and not as a home aide.

Bill LaFayette, the vice president of economic analysis at the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, said it is the role of community colleges and not OSU to provide students with opportunities to pursue lower-skilled jobs.

"There has to be education across the spectrum," said LaFayette.

LaFayette predicts growth in jobs at all skill-levels in Columbus based on an analysis of the region's economic drivers.

Economic drivers are institutions that have a larger-than-average employment or output rate, he said. By definition, local economic drivers have to be export sectors that serve a market larger than just Columbus.

For example, LaFayette said, the OSU Medical Center is an economic driver because it provides care to patients from every region in the state.

While healthcare, including home aid, helps to drive the region's economy, other industries - such as transportation, arts and entertainment tourism, logistics, glass and clay products and business - also contribute.

"If you have no background in health care, you're not going to be happy taking a health care job just because one is available," LaFayette said. "If I were looking for a job right now, I would have to balance the fact that I need to earn an income with the fact that looking for a job is itself a full-time job."

Even if it appears the net level of jobs is declining, LaFayette said that doesn't mean there aren't going to be higher-skilled job openings in the future. He recommended that students, like Ferlet, pursue internships and jobs while in school that might prepare them for the jobs for which they attend school.

"People should realize that taking a lower-skilled job may be necessary, but at the same time, you have to realize that you're building your career - you're putting things on your resume that could be helpful to you in getting the job you want," LaFayette said.

Originally Published: January 13, 2010

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