Employment in Speech & Hearing Sciences
Speech-language pathology and audiology will be among the hottest professions in the country in the next decade, according to recent employment growth projections in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) 2012-2013 Occupational Outlook Handbook.
The profession of Speech-Language Pathologist is cited as #14 of the top 25 jobs!
In a recent report by US News & World Report, the profession of speech-language pathology was cited as one of the fastest growing jobs, predicting approximately 28,000 new therapist positions in the workplace by 2020.
U.S. News & World Report, 2012: Speech-Language Pathologist: #14 of Top 25 Jobs in 2012
http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/speech-language-pathologist
Speech-Language Pathologists topped CNN Money’s list as the #1 Best job for Working Parents. The occupation of speech-language pathologist is rated as a fulfilling, high-paying profession, offering flexible schedules to accommodate working parents and rated #29 out of 100 best jobs for 2012! (CNN Money, October 2011)
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/best-jobs/2011/jobs-working-parents/1.html
http://money.cnn.com/pf/best-jobs/2012/snapshots/29.html
Gabby Giffords’ Road to Recovery: An amazing example of the work speech-language pathologists do!
See this example of therapy in action, having an impact at the national level. The nation looked on as a speech-language pathologist helped Congresswoman Gabrielle “Gabby” Gifford regain her ability to speak.
http://www.asha.org/Publications/leader/2012/120605/Giffords-Comes-Home-to-Aphasia-Treatment.htm
Employment of audiologists is expected to grow by 37 percent from 2012 to 2020, much faster than the average for all occupations. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) 2012-2011 Occupational Handbook
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/audiologists.htm
The following factors were cited by the BLS as reasons for job growth within the profession of audiology:
- Early identification and diagnosis of hearing disorders in infants contributing to an increase need for audiological evaluation and treatment
- Advances in hearing aid design which may be more appealing now as a means to minimize hearing loss
- The aging population, specifically those ages 55 and older, which will result in an increased need for hearing evaluations and assistive listening devices
Employment of speech-language pathologists is expected to grow by 23 percent from 2010 to 2020, faster than the average for all occupations:
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/speech-language-pathologists.htm#tab-6
The BLS cites the following factors contributing to the growth in employment within the profession of speech-language pathology:
- The aging of the baby-boomer population, which will increase the instances of health conditions that cause speech or language impairments, such as stroke or hearing loss
- Increased awareness of speech and language disorders, in younger children should also lead to a need for more speech-language pathologists treating that age group
- Medical advances are improving the survival rate of premature infants and survivors of trauma (head/brain injuries) and stroke, many of whom need specialized therapy from a speech-language pathologist