Healthcare job growth rebounded in 2014, especially in the year's final quarter, with near-average hiring after five years of below-average growth, according to government figures released Friday.
“The fourth quarter has just been blockbuster,” said Ani Turner, deputy director of the Altarum Institute's Center for Sustainable Health Spending. Healthcare added 36,000 jobs a month on average during the final quarter of 2014, she said.
That's compared with third-quarter average monthly hires of 27,000 employees. All figures are seasonally adjusted. November and December figures are preliminary and could be revised.
Healthcare ended last year with 14.9 million workers, accounting for roughly 1 out of 10 U.S. jobs.
Turner credited the growth to fewer uninsured Americans—the result of overall economic improvement and increased numbers of the newly insured under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. “It's not unexpected that would translate into higher health spending and higher employment through the sector throughout the year,” she said.
