Best 100 jobs in 2017 dominated by healthcare industry

DARRON CUMMINGS/ APh

DARRON CUMMINGS/ APh

Job seekers should look to the healthcare industry for the best jobs in 2017, according to a new report.

U.S. News & World Report has named the 100 best jobs in 2017, and 52 out of the 100 were in the healthcare field. The report is measured by indicators like salary, growth potential and work-life balance.

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“Health care jobs often require a human element, so they can’t be exported or entirely replaced by robots – at least not yet,” said Susannah Snider, personal finance editor at U.S. News. “Continued growth in the health care sector, low unemployment rates and high salaries make these jobs especially desirable. Plus, individuals can pursue a range of health care positions that require varying levels of skill and education.”

Top 5 Overall Best Jobs:

1. Dentist

2. Nurse Practitioner

3. Physician Assistant

4. Statistician

5. Orthodontist

6. Nurse Anesthetist

7. Pediatrician

8. Computer Systems Analyst

9 (tie). Obstetrician and Gynecologist

9 (tie). Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon

Best-Paying Jobs:

1. Anesthesiologist

2. Surgeon

3. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon

4. Obstetrician and Gynecologist

5. Orthodontist

Best Healthcare Jobs:

1. Dentist

2. Nurse Practitioner

3. Physician Assistant

4. Orthodontist

5. Nurse Anesthetist

Best Business Jobs:

1. Statistician

2. Mathematician

3. Financial Advisor

4. Actuary

5. Operations Research Analyst

The investment in new facilities has been a boon for overall employment in the Dayton area as well, according to Brian Bucklew of the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association: “Right now, there are 33,000 individuals who get a paycheck every week from a hospital in the nine-county Dayton region, and nonprofit hospitals in the Dayton region have an $8.1 billion dollar economic impact — not including construction spending.”

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, according to data from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, which shows the number of residents in the area employed in health care and social assistance has grown at more than twice the rate of job growth in the overall economy.

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Nationally, health care occupations and industries are expected to have the fastest employment growth and add the most jobs to the economy between now and 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which projects the sectors to add 2.3 million in employment, representing about one in four new jobs.

Though the healthcare industry dominated the Best Jobs list, positions like statistician and mathematician were at the top of the list due to the explosion of data usage and the need for advanced analytic problem solvers. There will also be a demand for workers in the technology industry, hiring for positions like security analysts. U.S. News draws data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to identify jobs with the greatest hiring demand.

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“Almost every type of company is hiring people to collect, analyze and provide insights on data to improve their operations,” said Brian Kelly, editor and chief content officer. “These roles – along with technology positions – are going to be important to almost any business in the future.”

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The 2017 job market is looking solid for workers in key industries such as health care and business, according to the report. Unemployment has dipped below 5 percent, recently reaching its lowest level since 2007, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Overall job growth is expected to increase by 6.5 percent between 2014 and 2024, generating nearly 10 million new jobs, according to the report.

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