Jobs of the future · 6 min read
Which healthcare jobs will grow the most?
Healthcare support is the fastest-growing US occupational group to 2035. Nurse practitioners lead by rate; home health and personal care aides by numbers.
The short answer
Healthcare is the biggest source of job growth in US projections. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects healthcare support occupations to grow about 13% from 2025 to 2035, the fastest of any major group. Nurse practitioners are the fastest-growing single occupation at about 41%, and home health and personal care aides add the most jobs, about 847,000. Growth comes mainly from an ageing population. Roles range from aides with short training to practitioners with graduate degrees, and many don't involve clinical work at all.
On this page 4 sections
Where the growth is
| Role | Projection | Typical entry |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse practitioners | About 41% growth | Graduate degree and licence |
| Medical and health services managers | About 24% growth | Bachelor's degree and experience |
| Physical therapist assistants | About 23% growth | Associate's degree |
| Home health and personal care aides | About 847,000 new jobs | Short training |
| Healthcare support (whole group) | About 13% growth | Varies |
Clinical and non-clinical
Healthcare employs a lot of people who never treat a patient: schedulers, coders, data analysts, managers, IT staff, community health workers. If the sector appeals but direct care doesn't, look at those first.
What to weigh
- Shift work, weekends and emotional load in many direct care roles.
- Training length: weeks for aides, years for practitioners.
- Licences and registration rules that differ by country and state.
Questions people ask
- Which healthcare jobs don't need a medical degree?
- Home health and personal care aides, medical assistants, physical and occupational therapy assistants, pharmacy technicians, phlebotomists, and many admin, data and management roles.
- Is healthcare safe from AI?
- Hands-on care is among the least exposed work. AI is changing documentation, scheduling, imaging and some diagnostics, which creates new roles in checking and running those tools.
- What healthcare jobs are there for people who don't like blood?
- Health administration, health data, community health work, patient navigation, care coordination and health IT. Medical and health services managers are projected to grow about 24% in the US to 2035.
- Are care jobs well paid?
- Pay varies widely. Aide roles are among the lowest-paid in healthcare; practitioner and manager roles are among the highest. Check pay for the specific role and area.
- How can I test healthcare work first?
- Volunteer at a hospital, care home or hospice, shadow a professional, or try a short first aid or care certificate course.
Exercises are practice, not evidence of career fit or a qualification. How to read our guides and report a correction.
Sources
- Total employment projected to grow 3.5 percent between 2025 and 2035 · U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Economics Daily
- Fastest growing occupations · U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook
- Occupations with the most job growth · U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections
How this page is written
Sources support the factual background, not a guarantee that an exercise predicts career fit. Fictional practice material is labelled. Dates record content updates; no independent expert review is implied. More about OffLadder.