E. Illustration
of the Impact of Labour Market Trends on the Health Care Industry
The remainder of this chapter summarizes and illustrates how labour
market trends combine to influence employment opportunities in the health
care industry. The health care industry provides a good example because
nearly all the trends discussed so far impact the industry in ways that
directly affect the average Canadian.
The health sector is an area of industrial growth for North America
with growing demand for health care products and services. However,
the focus of government in the `90s was on fiscal restraint and restructuring
of the health care system. This resulted in fundamental changes in the
health care system that call for different human resource needs. In
response, governments in the 21st century are planning for reinvestment
in human resources development in the health field. (Canadian Nurses
Association, Nursing Strategy Consultation Paper, June 2000,
p.6).
Part of the increased cost leading to strained budgets is the expense
of rapidly advancing technology, particularly in pharmaceuticals. Another
part can be assigned to the aging population. During restructuring and
reform of health care, a great many health care workers lost their jobs.
One consequence was a significant shortage of health care workers. As
new roles for those who provide health care services evolve, there will
be an increase in the range of skills required by health care professionals,
particularly IT skills. The growing demand in the industry, the existing
shortage of workers, and the need for new and increased worker skill
sets strongly impact the supply of workers in this field.
