While unemployment numbers remain high across the nation, Jon Morgan wishes he had more job applicants coming through his door.

    As director of human resources for Providence Centralia Hospital, every day he sees jobs that go unmanned at the hospital. And with an aging population, he knows there will be more and more jobs that need to be filled in the future.

    “There are only two or three industries that continue to show increases during the recession and health care is one of them,” Morgan said.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, health care is one of the industries expected to see the most growth between 2006 and 2016. In that time period, it is expected to add 3 million new jobs, accounting for about 22 percent of the total new jobs added to the economy. Some of the fastest growing fields within the larger category of health care will be: nursing, which is predicted to see a 28 percent increase; home health care, which will see a 55 percent jump; physical therapists, which will see a 35 percent boost; and physician assistants, which will rise by about 27 percent.

    At a local center for health care training, those trends are showing as well. Don Frey, director of communications for Centralia College, said demand for classes in health care careers is high. But with some classes, such as the Licensed Practical Nurse courses, the amount of students allowed is mandated by state regulations. At this point, Centralia College has 24 students in LPN training and 24 in the next level’s Registered Nurse program.

    “Everything we have that’s related to health is bursting at the seams,” Frey said. “If we could double our offerings we would still have full classes.”

    For Morgan, the three biggest needs are physical and occupational therapists, pharmacy workers and nurses. In nursing alone, Morgan said he expects his needs to rise rapidly at least for the next 18-20 years. But with fewer than needed applicants already, he said he has had to become very proactive in urging local students to consider health care as a possible field.

    One of the ways he is reaching out is the Health Care Career Expo, which the hospital will host on Oct. 13. Aimed toward junior high and high school students as well as anyone interested in a health care career, the event will give participants a hands-on look at the myriad of jobs available in health care as well as opportunities for training. Morgan explained the expo is an outreach service for the community, rather than a recruiting opportunity for the hospital.

    “Of course I’d love to encourage these students to train in health care and then come work for us,” Morgan said. “But I think if a seventh-grader comes to this and decides to go work anywhere in health care it’s going to be good for the field in general in the future.”