Healthcare Accounts for 24% of All New U.S. Jobs in 2023

The 38,000 job gains in December was below the monthly average 54,000 jobs healthcare created over the past 12 months.  

Healthcare job growth continued to be an economic driver in 2023, creating 653,000 jobs over the 12-month span and accounting for 24% of all jobs created in the overall economy last year, preliminary federal data show.

The 38,000 new healthcare jobs created in December was down from the sector's 54,000 monthly average in 2023, but still accounted for nearly 40% of the 215,000 new jobs created in the United States in the last month of 2023.

The 653,000 new jobs in 2023 is a 17% increase year-over-year from the 557,000 healthcare jobs created in 2022, and the healthcare sector accounted for 17.2 million jobs in 2023, up from 16.6 million jobs at the end of 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday.

Within healthcare, ambulatory care services continued to lead in job creation, accounting for 19,000 new jobs in December, and half (320,000) of all healthcare jobs in 2023. Hospitals accounted for 15,000 jobs in December and 183,000 jobs for the year, and nursing and residential care accounted for 3,200 jobs in December and 151,000 for the year.

The unemployment rate in the larger U.S. economy held fast at 3.7%, BLS says, with 6.3 million people reporting as unemployed, unchanged from November.

Big job gains also were seen in government (52,000) and leisure and hospitality (40,000).

The average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls in November rose by 15 cents, or 0.4%, to $34.27. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 4.1%. The average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees rose by 10 cents, or 0.3%, to $29.42. 

December and November job numbers are considered preliminary by BLS, and subject to revisions.