NHA says allied‑health demand rising
- National Healthcareer Association said on May 13 its 2026 outlook found rising demand for allied-health workers and growing employer emphasis on certification. - The report’s clearest data point was this: 89% of employers said they would choose a certified candidate when all else is equal. - The 2026 Industry Outlook is available from NHA, which surveyed nearly 200 employers across seven allied-health roles.
The National Healthcareer Association said on May 13 that its 2026 Industry Outlook found healthcare employers leaning more heavily on allied-health workers as staffing shortages and care demand reshape clinical teams. The report was based on a national survey of nearly 200 employers across seven in-demand allied-health roles, including medical assistants, patient care technicians, pharmacy technicians and EKG technicians. NHA, an Ascend Learning brand, said employers are placing greater weight on certification as they hire and retain workers for those jobs. The group also said employers are reporting gaps in applied clinical skills and are turning to apprenticeships, internships and on-the-job training to close them. ### Which allied-health jobs did employers say are changing fastest? NHA’s report said responsibility growth was reported across every surveyed allied-health role, with at least 30% of respondents saying duties had increased year over year. Medical assistants posted the highest figure, with 48% of employers citing expanded responsibilities for that group, according to the report. (info.nhanow.com) Patient care technicians are increasingly being asked to provide catheter care and obtain EKG readings, the report said. Pharmacy technicians are now more likely to administer vaccines than in prior years, while phlebotomists are being asked more often to prepare urine and other specimens, according to the outlook. (info.nhanow.com) ### Why is certification showing up so prominently in hiring? The strongest hiring signal in the report was certification. NHA said 89% of employers would choose a certified candidate over a non-certified candidate when all else is equal, while 71% said certification correlates with higher performance and 66% said certified employees show stronger retention. (info.nhanow.com) Kathy Hunter, category leader for NHA at Ascend Learning, said allied-health professionals in patient-facing roles are playing an increasingly important part in how care is delivered across healthcare organizations. Hunter said keeping pace with that shift requires continued investment in training, credentialing and career development so workers are prepared for expanded responsibilities. (info.nhanow.com) ### Where are employers saying the skills gaps are widest? The 2026 outlook said employers continue to report gaps in applied clinical judgment and hands-on skills. NHA said those findings are pushing employers toward apprenticeships, internships and on-the-job training as ways to bridge the classroom-to-practice gap. (info.nhanow.com) The report framed that problem as part of a broader workforce squeeze. NHA said nursing and physician staffing gaps are increasing reliance on allied-health workers for essential patient care and operational continuity. ### How does this fit into the broader U.S. labor market? The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says healthcare occupations are projected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations from 2024 to 2034. (info.nhanow.com) BLS projects about 1.9 million openings each year, on average, across healthcare occupations because of growth and worker replacement needs. Those federal projections cover a wider set of healthcare jobs than NHA’s survey, but they point in the same direction: employers are hiring into a labor market with sustained demand for clinical and support staff. (info.nhanow.com) NHA’s report focused on allied-health roles that often sit closest to day-to-day patient flow and care operations. ### What are employers doing next? NHA said career pathways and internal promotion programs are increasingly seen by employers as retention tools for entry-level allied-health workers. (bls.gov) The report said employers view laddering programs as a way to keep workers engaged and moving into more advanced roles over time. The next step for employers, according to the report released on May 13, is more investment in training pipelines tied to certification, apprenticeships and internal advancement. The full 2026 Industry Outlook is available through NHA’s website and covers seven allied-health roles surveyed in the study. (info.nhanow.com 1) (info.nhanow.com 2)
