Construction work continues on the new wing at Samaritan Hospital on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, in Troy N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union)

Construction work continues on the new wing at Samaritan Hospital on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, in Troy N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union)

Construction work continues on the new wing at Samaritan Hospital on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, in Troy N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union)

Construction work continues on the new wing at Samaritan Hospital on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, in Troy N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union)

Construction work continues on the new wing at Samaritan Hospital on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, in Troy N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union)

Construction work continues on the new wing at Samaritan Hospital on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, in Troy N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union)

Construction work continues on the new wing at Samaritan Hospital on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, in Troy N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union)

Construction work continues on the new wing at Samaritan Hospital on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, in Troy N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union)

Construction work continues on the new wing at Samaritan Hospital on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, in Troy N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union)

Construction work continues on the new wing at Samaritan Hospital on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, in Troy N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union)

Construction work continues on the new wing at Samaritan Hospital on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, in Troy N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union)

Construction work continues on the new wing at Samaritan Hospital on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, in Troy N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union)

Construction work continues on the new wing at Samaritan Hospital on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, in Troy N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union)

Construction work continues on the new wing at Samaritan Hospital on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, in Troy N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union)

Construction work continues on the new wing at Samaritan Hospital on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, in Troy N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union)

Construction work continues on the new wing at Samaritan Hospital on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, in Troy N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union)

Construction work continues on the new wing at Samaritan Hospital on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, in Troy N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union)

Construction work continues on the new wing at Samaritan Hospital on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, in Troy N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union)

Construction work continues on the new wing at Samaritan Hospital on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, in Troy N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union)

Construction work continues on the new wing at Samaritan Hospital on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, in Troy N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union)

Pressure is on to hire more in health care field

It's one of the major drivers of the Capital Region economy, employing thousands of people locally.

But health care is facing pressures, thanks to an aging population, Medicare reimbursement rates that haven't kept up with costs, and competition for job candidates in an area with one of the state's lowest unemployment rates.

More than 61,000 people are projected to be employed in occupations ranging from physicians and nurses to home health aides and medical assistants by 2022, said state labor markets analyst James Ross, up from 51,000 in 2012.

But far more positions will need to be filled, thanks to turnover as baby boomers reach retirement age.

"We know we have a whole demographic, large numbers in the 55 to 63" age group that are approaching retirement age, said Barbara McCandless, vice president for human resources, at St. Peter's Health Partners in Albany.

St. Peter's has 12,500 employees, many of them at its hospitals in Troy and Albany, with others spread out among 180 locations throughout the region. A multi-story expansion of Samaritan Hospital in Troy is scheduled to open later this year.

And while health care providers have been merging and consolidating the most recent was the announcement that Community Care Physicians and CapitalCare Medical Group would merge by summer resulting job losses have been minimal.

Health Career Job Fair

The Times Union's annual Health Career Job Fair will include more than three dozen exhibitors and recruiters. Admission is free to job seekers.

When: Wednesday, 2 to 7 p.m.

Where: Albany Marriott Hotel, 189 Wolf Road, Colonie

More details: timesunionjobfair.com

"The mergers and consolidations eliminated administrative and management overhead," said Ross, "but not the health care delivery.

"Doctors, nurses, technicians, home health aides all continue to show growth," he said.

At Albany Medical Center, which has 9,300 employees, additional physicians will be hired in the coming year.

"We expect to hire physicians, advanced practice providers and support staff in 2017, including those needed to support the continued growth of our EmUrgentCare facilities," said spokeswoman Sue Ford. Albany Med, like St. Peter's and Schenectady-based Ellis Medicine, has continued to expand its network of urgent care clinics throughout the region.

Ellis Medicine, which has more than 3,500 employees, expects to make 200 hires, both in new positions and in vacant positions being filled.

The jobs most in demand and hardest to fill? Registered nurses, an Ellis spokeswoman said.

"The one thing this year that may slow (job growth) down a bit is the uncertainty over the Affordable Care Act," Ross said.

The Republican-controlled Congress has made the repeal of Obamacare, as it's also called, a top priority, although that is appearing harder to accomplish than many in Congress originally thought.

"We're hearing different interpretations," said McCandless of St. Peter's. "We don't want to overplan for what we're not certain about."

And in any case, changes to Obamacare would likely take years to phase in, some observers say. Hospital officials say another government program, Medicare, doesn't adequately reimburse them.

"We're getting paid about 22 percent less than we should be in this region," said St. Peter's spokesman Elmer Streeter. "It's clearly a major issue."

Meanwhile, health care providers are seeing their labor costs increase, thanks to the tight labor market.

The Capital Region's unemployment rate in December was just 4 percent, a 10-year low for the month.

Competition for employees isn't just focused on health careers.

"Large health care systems are like a little city," said McCandless. "There's security, maintenance, finance; we have hundreds and hundreds of jobs."

With housekeeping and food service jobs, she said, "in some ways we're competing with a casino for the applicant pool," referring to the recently opened Rivers Casino in Schenectady, which employs 1,000 people.

"We have Sunnyview (Rehabilitation Hospital) in Schenectady. For that community the casino is drawing from the same pool of talent" for some non-clinical positions.

Albany Med is completing work on its newest EmUrgentCare center on Union Street in Niskayuna, a facility that's expected to open this spring, Ford said.

As demand for health care workers grows, wages also are rising.

The 19,000 workers classified by the Labor Department as ambulatory health care services workers, people who provide support and assistance to patients outside hospitals, saw their average wage climb 3.2 percent to $58,227 from $56,399 a year earlier.

There's a wide range of annual earnings. While home health aides make as little as $25,000 a year, surgeons averaged $296,000, according to the most recent state Labor Department data.

And even within specific areas, titles are multiplying. Registered nurses may also be case managers, or navigators who help patients move through the hospital.

And some doctors are hospitalists who focus on the overall care of hospitalized patients.

That may be the most lucrative career. LinkedIn ranked it No. 1 in its recent list of top 10 jobs in 2017, citing strong demand (87 percent year-over-year growth), and its median base salary ($222,000).

eanderson@timesunion.com 518-454-5323

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Pressure is on to hire more in health care field - Albany Times Union