Healthcare added nearly 45,000 jobs in December, more than twice the number added the previous month, and accounted for more than a quarter of the increase in overall nonfarm employment, according to preliminary seasonally adjusted data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The sector was again a bright spot in a report that suggests continued, modest recovery in the U.S. labor market, which added 155,000 jobs for the month. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 7.8%.