Hospitals and doctors offices cut jobs in June, dimming what has been an otherwise bright spot in the labor market.
Hospitals trimmed jobs for the second straight month, according to preliminary figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Hospital employment fell by 2,200 last month and 2,400 in May, a revision downward from the 3,300 previously reported for May. These figures follow gains of 141,700 jobs since the start of 2008.
Hospitals posted two other months with job losses since the recession began in December 2007: 700 jobs in March 2009 followed by 1,000 the next month. Total hospital employment in June was 4.7 million. For the 12-month period ended in June, hospital employment rose by 33,600 workers compared with an increase of 46,700 in the year-ago period.
After adding 1,700 jobs in May, physician office employment fell by 900 in June, the preliminary figures show. Doctors offices have added 84,200 jobs since the start of 2008. For the 12-month period ended in June, doctors offices added 39,800 jobs compared with the prior year's employment gains of 18,500. Total physician-office employment in June was 2.3 million.
All figures are seasonally adjusted.
