Aging boomers spark expansion of medical fields

In Connecticut, the health sector added 4,100 new jobs in 2008, for a total of 240,000, according to a report released by the state Department of Labor. The picture is similar across the nation. While manufacturing and transportation industries shed more than 1.6 million jobs last year, and retailers slashed more than a half-million, the healthcare sector added 372,000 new jobs. The healthcare industry's expansion is being fueled by the nation's aging population, as the nation's 79 million baby boomers reach retirement age.