Apparently, the country still needs psychologists

Today the Lt. Governor of Ohio issued a press releasing that is relevant to psychologists and others in the behavioral health field. It reflects that the state of Ohio recognizes that there is a shortage of behavioral health professionals (if you look at the “top jobs” website for Ohio it lists psychologists as having a median salary in Ohio of $105,000).

Husted Announces Updated Top Jobs List

Business input increases by nearly 13 percent

(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted, director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation, today announced the launch of Ohio’s updated Top Jobs List. This list, which contains both In-Demand Jobs and Critical Jobs, is an online tool to help people take advantage of employment opportunities and reflects the current workforce needs of Ohio businesses and communities. It is created, in part, through feedback from Ohio’s business community, which increased by nearly 13 percent compared to the previous response rate. 

“There are many opportunities here in Ohio for those who are ready to begin their careers or are looking to learn something new,” said Governor DeWine. “Our updated Top Jobs List outlines the most in-demand and critical professions for 2022.”

In 2019, Lt. Governor Husted announced the launch of TopJobs.Ohio.gov, which transitioned the once static In-Demand Jobs List into an interactive tool to help guide the educational choices of students, educators and workers. In 2020, Governor DeWine announced the creation of Critical Jobs to prioritize current economic needs with the health and well-being of Ohioans.

“Ohio’s Top Jobs List is designed to help people identify growing industries and guide them toward the education and training needed to enter that career path,” said Lt. Governor Husted. “This updated list is a great resource for Ohioans to find new or better opportunities so they can live their version of the American dream.”

Ohio is required to maintain a list of jobs that are in high demand. An “in-demand job” in Ohio is defined as one that pays at least 80 percent of the state median wage ($14.90 or more per hour) and has an annual growth in the number of jobs higher than the statewide average of 20 or annual job openings greater than 620. The In-Demand Jobs List is updated every two years using predictive data from three key sources: state labor statistics and projections, electronic job posting trend data, and business responses to the In-Demand Jobs survey.

Critical Jobs focus the state’s workforce efforts on supporting the health and well-being of Ohioans, their families and their communities. They are identified through the help of experts and stakeholders in the following eight career clusters:

• Children and Community Health
• Early Childhood Education
• First Responders
• Lead Abatement and Construction
• Mental and Behavioral Health
• Nurses
• Physicians
• Wellness Research and Technology

“The Top Jobs and Critical Jobs lists are among the many resources available to Ohioans looking to get back into the workforce, further their career, or even change careers,” said Matt Damschroder, director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. “We encourage individuals to go to OhioMeansJobs.com or their local OhioMeansJobs center where they can explore career options, get training and resume-building help, and apply for jobs.”

Ohio’s Top Jobs List plays an important function as it directs 85 percent of federal job training funds offered through OhioMeansJobs Centers. Ohio currently has 88 centers across the state that offer a variety of services to job seekers including connecting them to job training, practice interview skills and help writing a resume.

View the updated list at TopJobs.Ohio.gov. To find your local OhioMeansJobs Center, visit OhioMeansJobs.Ohio.gov.

This reminded me of the report the OIG puts out for the VA each year; you can check out 2021’s here:

Table 1. Frequency of Most Common Facility-Designated Severe Occupational

Year-after-year the OIG has repeatedly found clinical psychologists to be one of the occupations with the most severe staffing shortages within the VA. In 2021 the number of facilities in their survey that identified the occupation as a severe shortage was the highest for psychiatry (70), next highest for medical support assistance nonclinical (62) and psychologists and police officers were tied for third (60). The VA, which is often described as the largest employer of psychologists in the United States, has consistently found there to be a severe shortage of psychologists.

Just a friendly reminder that the data suggests that psychologists are in high demand.