The healthcare sector has shed 542,000 jobs since the start of the pandemic in February 2020.
Hospitals shed 5,800 jobs in April as disappointing U.S. job numbers in the larger economy for the month remained largely stagnant and the unemployment rate held at 6.1%, new federal data show.
The healthcare sector recorded a net loss of 4,000 jobs for the month. While ambulatory healthcare services saw an increase of 21,000 jobs, that was mostly offset by hospital job losses and 19,000 job losses in nursing homes, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Friday.
The healthcare sector has shed 542,000 jobs since the start of the pandemic in February 2020. There are 15.9 million people attached to the healthcare sector workforce, BLS said.
The stagnant employment rates for April were reported in wide swaths of the larger economy. The U.S. gained only 266,000 jobs for the month, the unemployment rate held at 6.1%, and 9.8 million people were unemployed, all largely unchanged from March, BLS said.
"These measures are down considerably from their recent highs in April 2020 but remain well above their levels prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic (3.5% and 5.7 million, respectively, in February 2020," BLS said in a media release.
“These measures are down considerably from their recent highs in April 2020 but remain well above their levels prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic (3.5% and 5.7 million, respectively, in February 2020.”
Bureau of Labor Statistics
John Commins is the news editor for HealthLeaders.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The healthcare sector recorded a net loss of 4,000 jobs for the month.
Ambulatory healthcare services saw an increase of 21,000 jobs.
That was offset by 5,800 hospital job losses and 19,000 job losses in nursing homes.