Healthcare adds 31,000 jobs in October, though nursing homes shed staff
Ambulatory healthcare businesses added 18,500 jobs in the month.
Healthcare businesses added 31,000 jobs in October, slightly lower than the 33,000 added in the previous month, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics announced on Friday.
Overall the report, which will be last jobs report before the presidential election on November 8, showed the U.S. economy added 161,000 jobs in the month and the overall unemployment fell to 4.9 percent.
According to the DOL, healthcare has added 415,000 jobs in the past 12 months.
[Also: Healthcare adds 33,000 jobs in September, though diagnostic labs shed staff]
Ambulatory healthcare businesses, which include outposts like doctors offices, dentists offices, outpatient centers and clinics among others, added 18,500 jobs in the month.
Hospitals represented the second-highest job creator in the sector, adding 12,700 jobs.
Nursing care facilities were the only segment to see its workforce shrink, shedding 2,300 jobs in the month.
Here's the seasonally adjusted breakdown for the healthcare sector. All numbers are in thousands:
| Industry | Oct. 2015 | Aug. 2016 | Sept. 2016 | Oct. 2016 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industry | Oct. 2015 | Aug. 2016 | Sept. 2016 | Oct. 2016 | Change |
| Healthcare | 15,232.60 | 15,588.10 | 15,617.40 | 15,647.90 | 30.5 |
| Ambulatory healthcare | 6,951.70 | 7,160.60 | 7,184.10 | 7,202.60 | 18.5 |
| Physicians offices | 2,560.10 | 2,618.10 | 2,626.10 | 2,629.60 | 3.5 |
| Dentists offices | 915.7 | 940.2 | 944.1 | 946.6 | 2.5 |
| Other healthcare offices | 821.6 | 868.4 | 870.2 | 874.5 | 4.3 |
| Outpatient care centers | 753.8 | 785.7 | 790.6 | 794.8 | 4.2 |
| Medical and diagnostic laboratories | 261.1 | 259.2 | 259.5 | 260.4 | 0.9 |
| Home healthcare services | 1,346.80 | 1,395.60 | 1,400.20 | 1,404.20 | 4 |
| Other ambulatory healthcare | 292.5 | 293.4 | 293.5 | 292.5 | -1 |
| Hospitals | 4,973.00 | 5,098.70 | 5,104.50 | 5,117.20 | 12.7 |
| Nursing and residential care facilities | 3,307.90 | 3,328.80 | 3,328.80 | 3,328.10 | -0.7 |
| Nursing care facilities | 1,657.10 | 1,657.20 | 1,657.30 | 1,655.00 | -2.3 |
| Residential mental health facilities | 607.6 | 612.8 | 613.2 | 614.2 | 1 |
| Community care facilities for the elderly | 881.9 | 895.7 | 894.2 | 894.5 | 0.3 |
| Other residential care facilities | 161.3 | 163.1 | 164.1 | 164.4 | 0.3 |
Twitter: @HenryPowderly
Contact the author: henry.powderly@himssmedia.com
