Healthcare & Social Assistance
The Healthcare & Social Assistance sector encompasses two closely related areas: jobs caring for people—healthcare—and jobs that provide critical support services to others— social assistance.
The Healthcare sector includes jobs in hospitals, offices of physicians, dentists, community clinics, long-term care facilities, mental/behavioral health services and other healthcare providers, such as outpatient health clinics. Social Assistance includes jobs in early childhood education, individual and family services, community food and housing services, vocational rehabilitation services, and more.
Healthcare & Social Assistance in the Portland-Vancouver Metro
8.9%
Total employment
400
Occupations
$83,847
2021 average annual wage
Healthcare has the strongest employment growth of any industry in the Portland-Vancouver Metro area. Healthcare workers are in high demand and ongoing, fast-paced growth is expected as baby boomers age and medical needs increase. Recent public investments like Multnomah County’s Preschool for All initiative are driving growth in Social Assistance as well. There are more than 400 occupations in Healthcare & Social Assistance, and a great many don’t require a college degree.
Many of these jobs are high-paying, with nearly 60% of the jobs in healthcare paying $22 or more per hour.
While roughly 40% of jobs in the sector require a four-year degree or more, many jobs require just a short vocational training for entry-level positions with multiple pathways for career advancement.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for Behavioral Health Workers has risen to a critical need, making this one of the most in-demand fields in the metro area.
Healthcare Employment by Component
Greater Portland Region, 2021
No Data Found
Healthcare Jobs by County
Greater Portland Region, 2021
No Data Found
Goals
Since 2015, CWWC has taken a regional approach to workforce development. In Healthcare & Social Assistance, creating a regional plan allows the CWWC to identify common industry workforce challenges, coalesce around shared goals, and align the efforts of the public workforce system to make a greater overall impact for the sector. The CWWC collaborates with employers, training providers, industry experts, and job seekers from diverse communities and backgrounds to meet the high demand in this sector, foster inclusive working environments, and facilitate partnerships between employers and educators.
Over the next three years the CWWC will convene workgroups of industry experts to strategize on its designated goals:
- CWWC’s members will continue to invest in coordinated training programs that meet the changing needs of our growing healthcare industry.
- We will focus on building a workforce that reflects the communities experiencing the most rapid growth.
- We will support the industry’s transition to electronic health record and data systems.
2022
Healthcare & Social Assistance Labor Report
About the Report
By examining labor market intelligence (such as the data contained in this report) and vetting the information with business partners, we are able to better understand industry trends, identify current and emergent workforce needs, and develop customized solutions for each sector.
