Healthcare gains 17K jobs in August

Healthcare added 17,000 jobs to the nation’s economy in August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 96,000 in August, and the unemployment rate edged down to 8.1 percent. Since the beginning of this year, the rate has remained in a narrow range of 8.1 to 8.3 percent. The number of unemployed persons, at 12.5 million, was little changed in August.

The largest growth area in healthcare was in ambulatory care services, which added 14,000 jobs. Hospitals added 6,000 jobs. From June through August, job growth in healthcare averaged 15,000 per month, compared with an average monthly gain of 28,000 in the prior 12 months.

Job gains were also made in food services and drinking places, which saw an increase of 28,000 in August and 298,000 over the past 12 months.  Employment in professional and technical services rose by 27,000, computer systems design and related services by 11,000 and management and technical consulting services by 9,000, according to the BLS report.

[See also: Healthcare adds 12K jobs in July]