The healthcare sector added about 31,000 jobs in January, rising about 0.2% to some 14.2 million workers since December, according to new, preliminary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Hospitals added about 12,700 jobs (0.26%) to since December, rising to nearly 4.8 million workers.

The ambulatory-services segment saw an increase of about 12,900 jobs (0.2%) to a total of over 6.2 million workers, according to the bureau's preliminary statistics.

Meanwhile, the data showed an increase of about 2,700 physician office jobs, for a boost of about 0.1% since December to a total of nearly 2.4 million workers.

A year ago, the hospital segment saw a decrease of about 100 jobs compared with the previous month, while ambulatory services added 5,900 jobs in that period. Physician office jobs grew by 2,200 jobs in January 2011 compared with December 2010.

As a whole, non-farm payroll employment in the U.S. increased by 243,000 jobs in January, while private-sector employment grew by 257,000, according to the bureau, which noted that the strongest employment gains came from professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and manufacturing, while government employment saw little change.

“Today's report showed our economy added 257,000 private-sector jobs in January, lowering our unemployment rate to 8.3%,” House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said in a written statement. “While it is a welcome sign that the pace of hiring has increased and our economy experienced the twenty-third month of consecutive private-sector job growth, 13 million Americans remain out of work and looking for jobs as we continue our still fragile recovery.”