Healthcare employers added nearly twice as many jobs in June as they did in May, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' preliminary and seasonally adjusted figures.
The sector grew by 19,800 jobs for the month, still well below the 12-month average of nearly 26,000 new jobs. Overall, healthcare accounted for 10.1% of the 195,000 nonfarm payroll jobs created in June, according to the bureau's monthly report released Friday morning. The unemployment rate, at 7.6%, matched May's figure.
Hospitals bounced back with the addition of 4,500 jobs in June. That increase, though, was smaller than the 7,900 positions hospitals shed in May and lower than the 12-month average of about 5,200.
Ambulatory settings, a reliable jobs source, added 12,600 workers, the lowest amount in two months. Within that category, though, the pace of growth in home health services once again led the healthcare sector, adding 6,800 new employees in June. Physicians offices added only 200 jobs, the lowest increase since November 2012.
But at least one expert isn't overly concerned about employment in doctors' offices. “I would look at the actual revisions that come up next month,” said Joanie Ruge, an employment industry adviser with job search site Monster.com. “I wouldn't be surprised if in the July jobs report that we actually see a revision of the number, and it actually comes in a little bit higher.”
The figure could also be due to an increase in the number of part-time workers, Ruge added. The government reported that the number of persons employed part time for economic reasons jumped by 322,000 in June. Ruge also said the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act impacted personnel decisions at smaller companies, inside and outside of healthcare. Because of the cost of providing health insurance coverage, some employers are rolling back employee hours, Ruge said. The job lull could also be due to the summer months when employers are less aggressive in posting jobs openings.
In the healthcare sphere, Monster continues to see the most demand for registered nurses, followed by physical therapists, occupational therapists, licensed nurses and critical-care nurses.
New York had the largest number of healthcare listings on Monster. Houston, Dallas, Atlanta and Los Angeles rounded out the top five.
That supports findings from a report released this week by the Brookings Institution (PDF). The Healthcare Metro Monitor Supplement reported that healthcare accounted for more than one out of every 10 jobs across the 100 largest metropolitan areas.
During the past 10 years, healthcare has added 2.6 million jobs in the U.S., and that 22.7% employment growth rate is significantly larger than the 2.1% growth area for all other industries, according to Brookings.
Follow Ashok Selvam on Twitter: @MH_aselvam
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