The health sector will create millions of new jobs in the coming years, according to a new White House employment forecast. In a report released this week, President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers predicts major growth in health care jobs over the next several years. The CEA writes:

Health care is forecasted to remain a large source of job growth in the labor market.  The long-term trend toward more employment in health care is expected to continue, with many health care occupations, including medical records and health information technicians, registered nurses, clinical laboratory technicians, and physical therapists, expected to grow.

Overall, the report estimates a 48 percent increase in health-care jobs from 2000-2016. Driven by an aging U.S. population that will require more care, jobs in “health care support occupations” are expected to grow at an even faster clip.

The report does not take the effects of comprehensive health reform into account. It notes, however, that even with a slower growth rate of health care spending, “the expected expansion of health coverage could lead to increased demand for workers -- including physicians, non-physician clinicians, health care support workers and nurses -- to cover the newly insured population.”

Health care reform, as we’ve said before, will further us on the path to economic recovery by reining in skyrocketing health care costs, making coverage more affordable, and reducing the burden on American businesses and families. But many aspects of reform -- including increasing the primary care workforce -- will create jobs as well, putting more Americans to work and giving our economy a much-needed boost. It’s a win-win.