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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW President candidate says SOU must be enterprising ... Lake Shasta college party routinely turns wild ... Scuba trip to Belize nearly fatal for Rogue River man ... President candidate says SOU must be enterprising ... Lake Shasta college party routinely turns wild ... Scuba trip to Belize nearly fatal for Rogue River man ... EMPLOYMENT Health care fuels Jackson County job growth Comment By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Follow @@GregMTBusiness MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Follow @@GregMTBusiness Posted May. 24, 2016 at 4:25 PM By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Follow @@GregMTBusiness Posted May. 24, 2016 at 4:25 PM » Social News Health care, spurred by broader access and a growing population, continues to fuel job expansion in Jackson County. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures released Tuesday showed that 12,540 people were employed in health care during April, up 550 positions from a year earlier. Overall Jackson County employment grew to 93,757 last month, up from 89,019 a year earlier. The seasonally adjusted jobless rate for April was 5.4 percent compared to 6.9 percent 12 months earlier. Since 2001, the health care industry has added 4,100 jobs, a 48.8 percent increase, accounting for more than half the job gains in Jackson County, said Guy Tauer, a regional economist for the Oregon Employment Department. During the 15-year period, countywide employment rose 10.5 percent. The post-recession bounce has been even more pronounced, he said, with a 22.5 percent gain between the peak in 2007 and this past February. The health care industry accounts for one in seven payroll jobs, with an average annual wage of more than $51,400. The average wage for ambulatory health care services and hospital employees is more than $60,000. However, more than one-fifth of the industry's jobs are in nursing and residential care facilities, where average wages were $28,720 during the third quarter of 2015. Rogue Community College's Genna Southworth, dean of the School of Health and Public Service, said her institution is adding training opportunities because of industry demand. "There's a continuing demand, especially in certain fields such as medical assistants," Southworth said. "Too often when people think of health care training, they think of nursing, but students who are looking for a health care career need to look outside of that box." She said RCC is adding a second cohort for its medical assistant program this year. Dental offices need additional help as well, said Carmen Mons, a past president of the Rogue Valley Dental Hygienist Association, who has worked in the field for 28 years. "You are always seeing job postings, and health care as a field is attractive as far as time spent training versus other areas," Mons said. "You can train and work your way up. With prevention so important these days, I believe the demand will continue." Construction and manufacturing saw year-over-year gains as well, adding a combined 650 positions. "Based on what clients are telling us, the demand is coming from sales and new contracts," said Nikki Jones of Express Employment Professionals. "The construction industry is needing wood products for its builders. When we're exporting products out of the valley, that's a good thing." She said there is still a gap in production levels compared to 10 years ago. "At that point, we'd supply three shifts for some companies we were working with with," Jones said. "Today, they may have one shift full and a second ramping up." An important difference, she said, is compensation. "The pay is better now," Jones said. "As we started coming out of the recession and the market started to change, employers had to make adjustments, which is good." Despite more baby boomers heading into retirement, the labor force is growing again. In April, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated 99,357 people were working or looking for a job, up from 94,719 in April 2013. The last April that number topped 100,000 was in 2010. "There's been a gradual uptick since 2013," Tauer said. "I would imagine if the economy continues to add jobs, participation across all age groups will grow, and we'll see 100,000 again." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GregMTBusiness , on Facebook at www.facebook.com/greg.stiles.31 . By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Follow @@GregMTBusiness MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Follow @@GregMTBusiness Posted May. 24, 2016 at 4:25 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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