July another good job growth month for healthcare
The United States economy experienced very slight job growth in July. Hiring in the healthcare sector continued to trend upward with the industry adding 31,300 positions.
Over the past 12 months, the healthcare industry has added 299,000 jobs.
[See also: More healthcare hiring in June, while national data disappoints.]
According to the latest employment report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the biggest healthcare job gains were in ambulatory care settings and at hospitals. Approximately 14,100 ambulatory care jobs were added in July, while employment at hospitals rose by 14,000.
The dominant job growth area in ambulatory care was at physician offices, which added 6,300 jobs. Home healthcare services added 3,100 jobs, while outpatient care centers actually lost 500 jobs.
Nursing and residential care facilities also increased hiring in July, adding 3,200 jobs.
Overall, total non-farm payroll employment increased by 117,000 in July, and the national unemployment rate dropped slightly to 9.1 percent. The number of unemployed fell by 200,000 to 13.9 million.
The national labor force, currently at 153.2 million, changed little from June to July.
The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 or more weeks) declined by 100,000 to 6.2 million. The long-term unemployed currently make up about 44.4 percent of unemployed persons.
Follow HFN editor Richard Pizzi on Twitter @HFNeditor.
