Healthcare adds 24,000 jobs in February
Hospitals, ambulatory centers add most jobs as month sees smaller growth than previous ones.
Hospitals, ambulatory centers add most jobs as month sees smaller growth than previous ones.
Healthcare businesses added 24,000 jobs in February, feds said on Friday, representing a more modest gain in jobs compared to prior months.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, ambulatory care services added 19,900 jobs and hospitals added 8,700 jobs, making up the bulk of the hiring in the sector.
In January, healthcare added 38,000 jobs, also led by hospitals and ambulatory centers.
While most healthcare providers grew staffs in February, two sectors actually saw slight declines in the month. Outpatient care centers shed 200 jobs in the month while nursing and residential care facilities lost 4,800 jobs.
Overall, the U.S. economy added 295,000 jobs in February and the unemployment rate fell to 5.5 percent.
Here’s the seasonally adjusted breakdown for the healthcare sector. All numbers are in thousands:
| Industry | Feb. 2014 | Dec. 2014 | Jan. 2015 | Feb. 2015 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industry | Feb. 2014 | Dec. 2014 | Jan. 2015 | Feb. 2015 | Change |
| Health care | 14,572.0 | 14,863.7 | 14,903.8 | 14,927.6 | 23.8 |
| Ambulatory health care services | 6,556.9 | 6,766.9 | 6,788.5 | 6,808.4 | 19.9 |
| Offices of physicians | 2,448.9 | 2,501.8 | 2,515.2 | 2,522.5 | 7.3 |
| Outpatient care centers | 697.8 | 726.5 | 729.0 | 728.8 | -.2 |
| Home health care services | 1,241.2 | 1,289.6 | 1,291.5 | 1,294.7 | 3.2 |
| Hospitals | 4,766.5 | 4,815.6 | 4,827.4 | 4,836.1 | 8.7 |
| Nursing and residential care facilities | 3,248.6 | 3,281.2 | 3,287.9 | 3,283.1 | -4.8 |
| Nursing care facilities | 1,651.2 | 1,653.4 | 1,656.8 | 1,653.6 | -3.2 |
Twitter: @HenryPowderly
