Healthcare employment grew by 12,000 workers in February, a one-month increase of 0.1%, to 13.67 million, as the overall economy shed another 36,000 jobs, preliminary figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show. Nearly 15 million people were unemployed last month, a national unemployment rate of 9.7%. Healthcare has added 210,000 jobs in the year that ended last month, an increase of 1.6%.
Ambulatory-care services added 6,700 jobs to their payrolls in February, a one-month increase of 0.1% to raise overall ambulatory-care employment to 5.86 million workers. For the year ended last month, ambulatory care added 137,100 jobs, an increase of 2.4%. Within ambulatory care, physician office employment figures were basically flat, adding 900 workers to bring employment to 2.31 million, the agency said. For the 12 months ended in February, physician offices added 47,100 jobs, an increase of 2.1%.
Hospital employment also remained basically flat, adding 1,300 jobs in February to bring hospital employment to 4.7 million, the bureau said. For the 12 months ended in February, hospitals added 32,700 jobs, an increase of 0.7%.
Meanwhile, nursing homes and residential-care facilities added 4,000 jobs, also an increase of 0.1%, to total 3.1 million workers. For the 12 months that ended in February, nursing homes and residential care added 40,300 workers for a 1.3% increase.
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