Healthcare continues hiring boom as national economy stalls

The U.S. healthcare sector continued to expand even as the rest of the economy struggled, with employment increasing in May by approximately 17,400 positions.

Over the prior 12 months, the healthcare industry has added an average of 24,000 jobs per month.

According to the latest employment report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the biggest healthcare job gains were in ambulatory care settings. Approximately 10,100 ambulatory care jobs were added in May.

Hospitals also added jobs in May, although at a much lower rate, with a total increase of 4,100 positions.

[See also: Job growth continues in healthcare despite decline in online ads for jobs.]

The dominant job growth area in ambulatory care was in outpatient care centers, which added 3,300 jobs. Physician offices added 2,200 jobs, while home healthcare services actually lost 400 jobs.

Nursing and residential care facilities also experienced hiring increases in May, to the tune of 3,200 jobs.

Overall, total non-farm payroll employment increased by 54,000 in May, and the national unemployment rate rose slightly to 9.1 percent. The number of unemployed increased by 167,000 to 13.9 million.

The labor force, at 153.7 million, was relatively unchanged over the month.

The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 or more weeks) increased by 361,000 to 6.2 million. The long-term unemployed currently make up about 45.1 percent of unemployed persons