Even as the U.S. jobs situation softened during the month of May, the healthcare sector continues to produce jobs at a seeming machine-like clip.
The healthcare sector added a total of 45,700 seasonally adjusted jobs in May, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That was even better than the April performance, when the sector added 44,200 jobs.
Altogether, the healthcare sector has added a total of 487,000 jobs over the past year, about 20 percent of the 2.4 million nonfarm jobs added by the U.S. economy during that period of time.
The ongoing robust job growth in healthcare is in contrast to the rest of the U.S. economy, which added just 38,000 jobs in total during the month of May, far below the typical 150,000 to 200,000 new jobs a month it had been generating.
Ambulatory healthcare services led the way, adding 23,500 jobs in May. It has added a total of 257,200 jobs over the past year.
Hospitals were in second position, adding a total of 16,500 jobs. That's significantly below the 22,900 jobs they created in April, but still more than the rate it generated positions late last year. It has added more than 192,000 jobs over the past year.
Just three years ago, hospital hiring was stuck in neutral. And the number of existing healthcare jobs fell for the first time in a decade.
To learn more:
- read the U.S. jobs report