>Healthcare drives private-sector employment in Garden State
Healthcare accounted for nearly half of the private-sector jobs created during the past 12 months, and this job creation engine has been rolling along for years. Between 1990 and 2009, three of every five jobs created in New Jersey were in healthcare “and that’s a pretty astounding number,” said Aaron Fichtner, assistant
commissioner for labor planning and analysis in the state Department of Labor. “It’s safe to say healthcare has been our strongest industry in New Jersey overall,” he noted.
Numbers like these have inspired a major initiative to train New Jerseyans who receive public assistance for careers in healthcare. The goal of the Northern New Jersey Health Professionals Consortium is to help 5,000 people escape poverty by entering the healthcare industry over the next five years. Classes began at community colleges during the summer, and so far 368 have enrolled and 22 have finished school and landed jobs, according to Justin E. Doheny, project director. (Fitzgerald, NJ Spotlight)
