The first Baby Boomer turned 65 this year. By 2029, all Boomers will be at least 65 years old. The size of the group, estimated at 70 million, combined with an increase in life expectancy, means the demand for elder care workers is not only growing, it’s becoming a crisis. According to the Eldercare Workforce Alliance, within 20 years one in five Americans will be over 65 and an estimated 90% of them will have one or more chronic conditions. But the current health care system lacks the capacity to care for them. Because of this, elder care is predicted to be the fastest growing employment sector within the health care industry. Overall, an estimated 3.5 million elder care professionals will be needed by 2030, including more than 1 million direct-care workers by 2018. The good thing about the elder care industry is that it reaches across all skill and education levels, from certified in-home caregivers to doctors who specialize in the care of elderly people, known as geriatricians. The other benefit? “These are not jobs that can be automated or off-shored,” Lund said.