Job growth continues in healthcare despite decline in online ads for jobs

The healthcare sector added more than 37,000 jobs in April and has added 295,000 jobs since April 2010 according to new employment data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Jobs in ambulatory healthcare services have shown the strongest and most consistent growth over the past year, adding 21,500 jobs in April. Employment in this sector has grown 2.8 percent in one year to more than 6.1 million workers – an increase of 169,000 jobs. Job demand in hospitals has also remained strong, adding more than 10,000 jobs since March and a total of nearly 60,000 since last April.

The only healthcare niche that saw job declines from March to April was at nursing care facilities, which saw payrolls shrink by 1,200, though job levels at nursing facilities still remain about 30,000, above 2010 employment levels.

A repeat of the strong growth in healthcare employment may be in jeopardy. According to the "Help Wanted OnLine Data Series" published by the Conference Board, online job postings for healthcare showed the largest decline of any sector, with 28,600 fewer jobs posted in April than in March. On the positive side, the healthcare practitioners and technical jobs continued to have the third highest volume of any industry with 568,500 new jobs posted in the month. This trails only computer and mathematical science and sales jobs for total open positions.

Declines in job postings were greatest for speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists. Online advertisements for healthcare support occupations also fell by 11,400 to 129,100.

Across all industries, online job postings dipped more than 123,000 for the month.

“While the number of ads relative to the number of unemployed in all of the major occupational categories deteriorated during the recession, for some relatively high-wage, high-tech categories there were always more advertised vacancies than unemployed looking for jobs,” said June Shelp, vice president at the Conference Board.

This is especially true in healthcare. While some industries such as food preparation and serving have nearly eight unemployed people for every online job posting, healthcare is one of only three industries that has more vacancies advertised than people out of work. In April, there were nearly three vacancies posted for every one unemployed healthcare worker.

Nationally, the supply-demand rate for all occupations was 3.05, or three unemployed for every advertised opening.