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Jobs That Actually Increased Salary During Recession

Everyone is well aware that the Great Recession has greatly decreased the number of jobs available in this country. On top of that, lay-offs, downsizing and decreased salaries were a norm for the past couple of years. However, there are a couple of positions that actually saw increased salaries rather than the opposite.

Not to say that growth or improvement is completely void in a recession, but generally that’s the idea. Jobs are scarce because thousands of companies across the country eliminated positions that would allow for a financial uplift for the company. As a result, there are more people looking for jobs and less positions available to them. Well, as Spark News has reported in the past couple of months, it seems as though the healthcare industry was somewhat exempt from recession woes. Of course, there were sectors that were hurt like many others, but overall the healthcare job market stayed, well, healthy.

Therefore, it’s no surprise that most of the jobs that saw an increase in salary over the past couple of years were in the healthcare industry. The San Francisco Gate took a look at some of these positions and showed us how much of an increase they experienced while most other positions remained the same or decreased.

1. Physician Assistant – $87,900
As the profession with the most increase over these past couple of years. While they are supervised by a physician, they mainly work independently. Since 2006, this position has experienced an 8.9 percent increase in pay.

2. Physical Therapist – $71,000
Helping to prevent injury or facilitate a healing muscle, physical therapists are usually in high demand. Since 2006 they, too, have experienced an 8.9 percent raise in their incomes.

3. Registered Nurse – $58,000
The Bureau of Labor Statistics stated that registered nurses make up the largest healthcare profession in the U.S. with over 2.6 million workers. Like the previous two positions, registered nurses have seen an 8.9 percent increase in salary since 2006.

4. Marriage and Family Therapist – $48,900
Therapist positions of all kinds have been in high demand these past couple years and experts say they will continue to be in demand. In fact, many believe that the position of therapist will be one of the most secure jobs to have in the near future since the demand is like to increase. This position has seen an 8.1 percent increase since 2006, not far behind the top three listed above.

5. Medical Case Manager – $45,700
This is a job that entails overseeing the treatment and care of patients. They usually have a nursing background and help to educate the patient as they oversee their care. Since 2006, this career has also seen an 8.1 percent increase in income.

SOURCE: The San Francisco Gate
IMAGE: Courtesy of Gossip Lanka News

Nicole Nicholson

Nicole is the Content Editor for Spark Hire and mainly writes for and edits the work for the Spark News blog. She graduated in 2010 with a BA in Journalism from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. She has a passion for writing, editing, and pretty much anything to do with content. In her free time she frequents the Chicago music scene and writes reviews on shows for her own personal blog. Connect with Nicole and Spark Hire on Facebook and Twitter

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