Once again, healthcare was among the sectors to experience notable job gains for the month.
Employment in the healthcare sector has finally returned to its pre-pandemic level according to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) employment situation summary.
It's no secret that the pandemic has had lasting effects on the healthcare sector, including lasting workforce shortages, clinical staff burnout, and dire financial loss for hospitals and health systems, all pain points which have remained top-of-mind for healthcare executives.
Offering a glimmer of hope, the healthcare sector gained 60,000 jobs in the month of September, bringing employment back to its February 2020 level more than two and a half years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Within healthcare, the ambulatory sector gained 28,000 jobs, with the most notable gains experienced in physicians' offices (+10,200 jobs) and home healthcare services (+10,600). Hospitals closely followed suit, adding 27,500 jobs during the month, while nursing and residential care facilities gained 4,500 jobs.
So far this year, the healthcare sector has gained:
- 18,000 jobs in January
- 64,000 in February
- 8,000 in March
- 34,000 in April
- 28,000 in May
- 57,000 in June
- 70,000 in July
- 48,000 in August
So far this year, the healthcare sector has on average gained 43,000 monthly job growth.
Total nonfarm payroll employment gained 263,000 jobs in September, with the healthcare sector and leisure and hospitality sector receiving the most notable gains for the month, BLS reported. The unemployment rate is now down to 3.5%.
BLS reported that Hurricane Ian, which wreaked havoc across southwestern Florida, had no discernible effect on employment and unemployment data for September.
The monthly job growth for total nonfarm payroll employment has averaged 420,000 so far this year, down from the 562,000 monthly job growth experienced in 2021.
Melanie Blackman is a contributing editor for strategy, marketing, and human resources at HealthLeaders, an HCPro brand.