Summary 08-07 / September 2008 • U.S. Department of Labor • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Workdays for People in Healthcare Occupations

Every 2 years, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 

publishes projections of employment growth (or decline) 

by occupation, and many job 

seekers and students consult 

these data while making career decisions. In addition 

to looking at growth rates of 

various occupations, job seekers may also wish to consider 

the scheduling of work hours 

by occupation. For example, 

people employed in some 

occupations are more likely 

than other people to work at 

night or on weekends. This 

Issues paper uses data from 

the American Time Use Survey to examine the workdays 

of two healthcare occupation subgroups—healthcare 

practitioner and technical 

occupations, and healthcare 

support occupations. (See 

box.) Employment in these 

occupations is expected to

increase by 2.4 million jobs, 

or 22 percent, between 2006 

and 2016,1 ranking healthcare 

occupations among the fastest 

growing occupations in the 

economy. 

According to 2003–07 data 

from the American Time Use 

Survey, people employed in 

the two healthcare occupation 

subgroups were more likely 

than those in other occupations to work on weekend 

days. Thirty-nine percent of 

healthcare support employees 

and 35 percent of healthcare 

practitioners worked on an average weekend day. By comparison, only 31 percent of 

those employed in nonhealthcare occupations did so. When 

they worked on weekend days, 

people employed in both healthcare occupation subgroups also 

worked more hours than those 

employed in other occupations. 

On weekend workdays, those in 

healthcare practitioner and technical occupations worked an 

average of 6.5 hours, and those 

in healthcare support occupations worked an average of 7.3 

hours. By contrast, those employed in all other occupations 

worked an average of 5.5 hours 

on weekend days on which they 

worked. (See table.)

Among all full-time employed workers, those in both 

healthcare occupation subgroups were more likely to 

work between 10 p.m. and 5 Continued on back

1 Occupational projections for 2006–

16 appear in “Occupational Employment Projections to 2016,” by Arlene 

Dohm and Lynn Shniper in the November 2007 Monthly Labor Review, 

on the Internet at www.bls.gov/opub/

mlr/2007/11/art5full.pdf. The projections numbers stated in this article 

are for healthcare practitioner and 

technical occupations (SOC 29-0000) 

and healthcare support occupations 

(SOC 31-0000) combined.

Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations generally 

require postsecondary education. These occupations are projected to grow 20 percent between 2006 and 2016 and create 

over 1.4 million jobs. They tend to be among the more highlypaid occupations, and include

Physicians and surgeons

Registered nurses 

Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses

Physical therapists

Dentists

Pharmacists

Physician assistants

Emergency medical technicians and paramedics

Medical records and health information technicians

Healthcare support occupations generally require a high 

school diploma and short-to-moderate-term on-the-job training. 

These occupations are projected to grow 27 percent between 

2006 and 2016 and create close to 1 million jobs. They tend to 

be among the lower paid occupations, and include

Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides 

Occupational therapist assistants and aides

Physical therapist assistants and aides

Dental assistants

Medical assistants

Percent of full-time employed people working, by time of day on days worked, 

2003–07 annual averages

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

12 a.m. 2 a.m. 4 a.m. 6 a.m. 8 a.m. 10 a.m. 12 p.m. 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m. 8 p.m. 10 p.m.

Healthcare support

occupations

All other occupations

Healthcare practitioner

and

technical occupations

Note: Data refer to full-time employed people age 15 and older and are averages of all days of the

week. Workdays are those days on which people did some paid work for their primary job.

Percent working on their primary job on an average workday
a.m. on workdays than were 

those in other occupations. 

For example, on days they did 

at least some work, 9 percent 

of people in healthcare practitioner and technical occupations were working at 4 a.m., 

as well as 12 percent of those 

in healthcare support occupations. By contrast, only 4 

percent of those in other occupations were working at 4 a.m. 

(See chart.)

This Issues paper was prepared by Mary Dorinda Allard 

and Jill Lacey, economists in 

the Division of Labor Force Statistics, Office of Employment 

and Unemployment Statistics, 

Bureau of Labor Statistics. For 

additional information on what 

times of day people in various 

occupations worked, weekday-weekend work patterns 

of various occupations, and 

a technical description of the 

American Time Use Survey 

call (202) 691-6339 or send

e-mail to atusinfo@bls.gov. 

Information in this summary 

will be made available to sensory-impaired individuals upon 

request. Voice phone: (202) 691-

5200. Federal Relay Service:

1-800-877-8339. This report is 

in the public domain and may be

reproduced without permission.

Percent of full-time employed people working and average hours spent working on days worked, by occupation and day of the week,

2003–07 annual averages from the American Time Use Survey      

Occupation

On an average weekday

On an average weekend day

or holiday1

Average hours of Percent of Average hours of Percent of

work on days employed people work on days employed people

worked who worked worked who worked

Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations........................... 8.78 80.0 6.50 35.1

Healthcare support occupations....................................................... 7.94 77.4 7.31 38.6

All other occupations ........................................................................ 8.32 88.1 5.54 31.2

1 Holidays are New Year’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July,

Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Data from Christmas

Day in 2003, Thanksgiving Day in 2003–05, and New Year’s Day in 2007

were not collected.

NOTE: Data refer to people age 15 or older. Work estimates include only

paid work done for people’s primary jobs.