However, the demand for these workers varies with the demand for all other nursing personnel. The projected growth rate in employment for this occupational group reflects the trends in population growth and an aging population. With population growth, there will be an increasing need for health care. B.C.'s population is expected to grow at only about half the rate that occurred during the 1990s. The decline in growth will be offset by the rapidly aging population that is increasing the number of aged persons and persons with disabilities in need of long term care.
Hospitals now emphasize acute care and mainly treat patients with more severe illnesses.
This leads to a growing complexity of standard nursing care. As a result, employment for nurse aides in these institutions will continue to decline. Although population growth and an aging population will increase the demand for medical care, public funding will probably continue to be constrained. In spite of possible federal and provincial increases in funding, ongoing fiscal constraints will continue to shift employment opportunities from hospitals to home care and privately run institutions. Technological innovations in the science of health care have made it possible to treat more patients and to provide better health care.