Healthcare Drives 72% of Job Growth in November

The industry accounted for 46,300 jobs last month amid government shutdown-related disruptions clouding the labor market picture.

Healthcare continued to be a primary source of U.S. job growth in November, even as the broader labor market showed signs of slowing, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Overall, nonfarm payroll employment increased by 64,000 jobs in November, with healthcare adding 46,300 jobs to account for 72% of those gains, highlighting the industry’s steadiness in the face of an uneven labor market. Healthcare’s total was above with the average monthly gain of 39,000 over the past 12 months.

The November report follows several months of disruption caused by the government shutdown that lasted from October 1 through November 12. Publication of the November employment data was delayed by more than a week as a result, and BLS said both the household and establishment surveys required additional data collection and processing time. The agency did not publish a jobs report for October, making month-to-month comparisons more difficult and limiting visibility into recent trends.

Within healthcare, ambulatory healthcare services led the sector’s gains with 24,000 jobs, continuing a trend as care increasingly shifts toward outpatient settings. Home health services contributed 7,700 of those jobs, followed by office of physicians with 5,500.

Elsewhere, hospitals added 11,400 jobs, while nursing and residential care facilities posted 10,900 jobs, including 8,400 from skilled nursing care facilities.

Healthcare’s performance stood out against a backdrop of mixed results in other sectors. Construction added 28,000 jobs during the month, while transportation and warehousing declined by 18,000. Federal government employment also fell by 6,000, reflecting lingering effects of the shutdown.

The unemployment rate and number of unemployed people were little changed at 4.6% at 7.8 million, respectively, though both figures increased year-over-year from 4.2% and 7.1 million in November 2024.

Still, the most recent data reinforces healthcare’s role as a stabilizing force in the labor market, despite economic uncertainty and data disruptions complicating efforts to assess hiring momentum heading into the end of the year.