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Box 1354 St. Louis, MO 63188 Voice: 314-771-0200 Fax: 314-771-0300 To submit news, contact: editor@slfp.com To advertise, contact: advertising@slfp.com Demand for Occupational Therapy Services Is On the Rise ST. LOUIS (PRNewswire), April 6, 2008 - The numbers don't lie. Demand for occupational therapy services is on the rise and new practitioners are needed to fill that demand. The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) is using OT Month 2008 as an opportunity to highlight the profession as a vital and satisfying career choice. "We are looking everywhere for new practitioners to help us keep up with demand," said AOTA President Penny Moyers Cleveland, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA. "AOTA members are going out into their communities, universities and even high schools to find qualified applicants. We want students of all ages to know what occupational therapists do and how they can join this dynamic and caring profession." Occupational therapy has been cited as a top profession for 2008 by US News and World Report. A study by the Midwest Center for Health Workforce Studies, University of Illinois at Chicago in 2007 showed that a shortage of practitioners affects all geographic regions and practice settings, including hospitals, nursing homes, and community settings. The study concluded that the shortage exists as a result of both increased demand and reduced supply. "Many new client groups are asking for occupational therapy -- from parents of children with autism to people with low vision problems," said Dr. Moyers Cleveland. "Prevention and wellness are important too but we need to recruit more candidates to meet the need." Numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics support the conclusions of the workforce study. According to BLS data, employment for occupational therapy practitioners is expected to increase 23 percent between 2006 and 2016. This is much faster than the average rate of employment increases for all other occupations. The BLS also noted that median earnings for occupational therapists topped the $60,000 mark. Occupational therapy programs report that graduates are being offered salaries of up to $75,000 for some fields. "As we prepare to celebrate the profession's centennial in 2017, these numbers show that occupational therapy practitioners must be available to meet the needs of society," added Dr. Moyers Cleveland. "OT Month is the opportunity to spread our message and recruit more practitioners. After all, who better than practitioners to explain what a great career choice occupational therapy is?" U.S. High-Tech Industry Adds Jobs for Third Year in a Row ST. LOUIS (PRNewswire), April 6, 2008 - AeA, the nation's largest high-tech trade association, has released its 11th annual Cyberstates report detailing national and state trends in high-tech employment, wages, and other key economic factors for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The report, Cyberstates 2008: A Complete State-by-State Overview of the High-Technology Industry, shows that in 2007, the high-tech industry continued growing, adding 91,400 net jobs for a total of 5.9 million in the United States. This is on top of job gains of 139,000 in 2006 and 87,400 in 2005. "While we are certainly pleased to report that the technology industry added jobs nationally and across nearly every state, national tech growth slowed in 2007, making the story good but not great," said Christopher Hansen, President and CEO of AeA. "Tech jobs make critical contributions to the U.S. economy in terms of innovation, and pay extremely well - the average tech industry wage is 87 percent higher than the average private sector wage. In 47 cyberstates the average high-tech wage is at least 50 percent higher than the average private sector wage, and in four cyberstates this differential is over 100 percent. While these are the types of jobs every state wants to attract, the labor market remains tight, with unemployment rates below two percent across many tech occupations." An examination of the sectors reveals that software services added 82,600 jobs in 2007, up for the fourth year in a row. Engineering and tech services added 45,800 jobs in 2007, also up for the fourth year in a row, putting it at an all time high. On the downside, high-tech manufacturing lost 29,800 net jobs in 2007. Seven of the nine tech manufacturing sectors lost jobs in 2007. Only the defense electronics and electromedical equipment sectors added jobs. The communications services sector continued to shed jobs in 2007, albeit at a slower pace, losing 7,200 compared to a loss of 16,900 in 2006. "AeA is concerned that future growth is being jeopardized unless the United States prepares itself for a vastly more competitive global marketplace," continued Hansen. "The tech industry and the country risk an impending slide in U.S. global competitiveness, caused by negligence on the part of our political leaders to adequately invest in scientific research, improve our education system, and allow the best and brightest from around the world to work in the United States." "AeA was proud to have been instrumental in promoting legislation that became the America Competes Act, which overwhelmingly passed through Congress and was signed into law in August 2007," concluded Hansen. "This Act offers a number of creative solutions for reinvesting in research and education. But the bill only authorized these measures - no funding was provided for this legislation. We call on policymakers to fully fund the America Competes Act in 2008." On a state-by-state basis, Cyberstates 2008 shows that 48 cyberstates added jobs in 2006, the most recent data available. California led the nation, adding 21,400 net jobs. The next largest net gains in tech employment between 2005 and 2006 occurred in Texas (+13,700) and Virginia (+ 9,800). Rounding out the top five were New Jersey (+8,500) and New Mexico (+6,700). Archived Stories: Cell Phones May Play a Much Bigger Role in Helping Americans Get Work Job Opportunities You Can Count on Right Now Include Accounting State and Local Public Health Departments Facing Serious Shortage of Skilled Professionals Most Baby Boomers Underestimate Disability Risk 10 Steps to Keeping the Workplace Healthy in the Height of Flu Season Global Survey Shows U.S. Employees Give Highest Marks to Their Managers Demand For Landscape Architecture Services Remains High Career & Technical Education is Growing and Preparing Students for the Future Office Building Conditions Have Major Impact on Worker Attitudes, Productivity and Motivation Gender Plays Strong Role in Receiving Annuity, Pension Income Presenteeism Puts Companies at Risk, Employers Tell Sick Workers to Go Home Nearly 80 Percent of Workers Remain Confident in Job Security New Year's Resolutions - Should You Quit Your Job in 2008? 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