The health care industry has been an engine of job growth, and the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) is expected to stimulate further growth. Over the next decade, the health care sector could add 4.6 million jobs, representing a 31% increase from current employment. New job opportunities from entry-level positions to highly trained professions are expected to emerge in the industry. In this report, we present an inventory of health care jobs occupied by people of color, and the changes in occupation mix over time. We then estimate job growth in the health care industry and present potential job opportunities for people of color. If we assume the current racial and ethnic distribution of the health care workforce persists, we would expect that in the future at least one-third of the total health care workforce will comprise people of color. is estimate is
almost certainly lower than what will occur, because many people of color — especially Blacks and Hispanics — are in occupations that are among the fastest growing in the U.S. The goal of this report is to provide knowledge that can help foster and enhance racial/ethnic diversity of the health care workforce.