Upstate New York region’s job growth paced by healthcare industry

The healthcare industry is one of the top sources of job growth in the Upstate New York regions of Utica and Rome, according to a published report.

The past year demonstrated that region had the Empire State's highest percentage of job growth, which included the addition of 4,300 private sector jobs, The Utica Observer-Dispatch reports. The rate of job growth from August 2011 to the same month this past year increased 4.4. percent.

"The need for experienced nurses is growing, especially in the emergency room and the ICU," human resources director Jackie Howell with Faxton St. Luke's Healthcare told the news source.

The upward surge of jobs is doing its part to aid the region's return to pre-recession levels, the publication reports. The executive director of one regional grassroots organization that stands for advancing economic, social and cultural interests said healthcare and medical careers are the most rapidly growing industries.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, healthcare occupations include audiologists, cardiovascular technicians and technologists, emergency medical technicians and registered nurses, among other vocations.