Healthcare adds 14,000 jobs in August as nursing homes shed thousands of workers
Hospitals added 10,700 jobs while ambulatory services added 12,900.
Healthcare hiring slowed in August, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Friday, as sharp job losses in nursing homes dragged down the overall job gains.
The sector added 14,000 jobs in August, the federal agency said, far lower than the 43,000 jobs healthcare added in July. The gains were also below the yearly average for a sector that has added about 39,000 jobs a month.
[Also: Healthcare adds 43,000 jobs in July, 477,000 in the past 12 months]
Overall, the U.S. economy added 151,000 jobs in the month and the unemployment rate held flat at 4.9 percent.
Hospitals added 10,700 jobs while ambulatory services added 12,900. However, nursing a residential care communities shed more than 9,000 jobs in the month.
Here's the seasonally adjusted breakdown for the healthcare sector. All numbers are in thousands:
| Industry | August 2015 | June 2016 | July 2016 | August 2016 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industry | August 2015 | June 2016 | July 2016 | August 2016 | Change |
| Healthcare | 15,142.70 | 15,525.90 | 15,571.20 | 15,585.60 | 14.4 |
| Ambulatory healthcare | 6,904.80 | 7,119.90 | 7,142.60 | 7,155.50 | 12.9 |
| Physicians offices | 2,543.00 | 2,606.50 | 2,617.00 | 2,617.20 | 0.2 |
| Dentists offices | 910.5 | 935.8 | 938.1 | 939.6 | 1.5 |
| Other healthcare offices | 816.7 | 858.6 | 861.7 | 866.4 | 4.7 |
| Outpatient care centers | 749.4 | 777.1 | 781.2 | 784.3 | 3.1 |
| Medical and diagnostic laboratories | 260.6 | 258.5 | 259.3 | 259.1 | -0.2 |
| Home healthcare services | 1,334.30 | 1,390.50 | 1,392.20 | 1,394.10 | 1.9 |
| Other ambulatory healthcare | 290.3 | 292.9 | 293.2 | 294.9 | 1.7 |
| Hospitals | 4,935.30 | 5,078.20 | 5,091.40 | 5,102.10 | 10.7 |
| Nursing and residential care facilities | 3,302.60 | 3,327.80 | 3,337.20 | 3,328.00 | -9.2 |
| Nursing care facilities | 1,655.10 | 1,659.90 | 1,663.90 | 1,656.90 | -7 |
| Residential mental health facilities | 606.7 | 612.5 | 612 | 613 | 1 |
| Community care facilities for the elderly | 878.7 | 891.5 | 896.9 | 895.1 | -1.8 |
| Other residential care facilities | 162.2 | 163.9 | 164.5 | 163 | -1.5 |
Twitter: @HenryPowderly
Contact the author: henry.powderly@himssmedia.com
