Hospitals experienced the most job growth in the sector during the month with 16,300 jobs added.
The healthcare sector continues to experience job growth for the fifth month in a row this year.
The newest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report found that employment in the healthcare sector rose by 28,000 in May.
Hospitals experienced the most job growth, with an additional 16,300 jobs added. Nursing and residential care facilities saw an increase in 5,600 jobs, and nursing care facilities saw 1,300 jobs added in the month of May.
Following continuous gains in employment this year, including +18,000 in January, +64,000 in February, +8,000 in March, and +34,000 in April, employment in the healthcare sector is now down approximately 223,000 jobs, or 1.3% lower, than pre-pandemic levels in February 2020.
According to the report, total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 390,000 in May. Notable job gains occurred in the leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, and transportation warehousing sectors, while employment in the retail sector saw a loss in jobs.
The unemployment rate in May was 3.6%, for a total of 6 million unemployed persons, remaining unchanged for the third month in a row. "These measures are little different than their values in February 2020 (3.5% and 5.7 million, respectively,) prior to the COVID-19 pandemic," the report said.
Melanie Blackman is a contributing editor for strategy, marketing, and human resources at HealthLeaders, an HCPro brand.