According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics National Compensation Survey for the Birmingham-Hoover, Alabama area conducted in March 2008, Alabama nursing jobs paid $28.28 per hour on average. This is much higher than the average area wage of $17.89 per hour across industries. The same survey conducted in August 2008 for the Mobile, Alabama area shows that nurses who chose Alabama nursing careers in Mobile were making an average of $24.36 per hour, significantly higher than the average area wage of $16.49 per hour across industries in Mobile in the same month.
Alabama’s population is rapidly growing, thus the demand for qualified registered nurses is on the rise as well. And, as our population ages and we continue to live longer, the need for nurses continues to increase. Prospective nurses who are considering Alabama nursing programs have chosen an excellent time to enter this expanding field.
The 2008-2009 Edition of The Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook states that employment opportunities for registered nurses across the nation are expected to increase by 23 percent by the year 2016, with an expected 587,000 new jobs available. With Alabama’s expanding and aging population, the demand for nurses can be expected to increase at a similar rate.
Nurses that choose to advance their education will experience the highest increase in employment opportunities and the Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that registered nurses holding at least a bachelor’s degree will enjoy a distinct advantage over registered nurses without a bachelor’s degree; therefore, prospective nursing students should take this into consideration when selecting Alabama nursing programs.