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5 Numbers That Highlight Healthcare Jobs Growth

Analysis  |  By Jay Asser  
   June 13, 2024

The industry rebounded in May after a drop in the previous month as employment climbed overall.

Healthcare paced all industries in job growth for May, contributing to a robust increase across all sectors for the month, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

While many healthcare organizations are battling workforce shortages, the steady addition of jobs illustrates a relatively healthy market.

Here are five numbers that show where healthcare jobs were trending in May:

  1. Healthcare created 68,300 jobs, which was a 22% increase from the 56,000 jobs added in April. It was a bounce back after April’s figure represented a 22% drop from March.
     
  2. Healthcare accounted for 25% of the 272,000 jobs created in total, leading other top-performing industries like government (43,000), leisure and hospitality (42,000), and professional, scientific, and technical services (32,000). The overall figure was higher than the average monthly gain of 232,000 jobs over the previous 12 months.
     
  3. Employment growth continued in ambulatory healthcare services (43,000), hospitals (15,000), and nursing and residential care facilities (11,000).
     
  4. Jobs also increased in physician offices (13,400) and home healthcare services (19,600).
     
  5. The average monthly gain in employment for healthcare has been 64,000 over the past 12 months.
     

As healthcare creates more jobs, younger generations will continue to enter the workforce. That’s why many hospital CEOs are strategizing to improve training, recruitment, and retention efforts among younger works to ensure a sustainable workforce of the future.

Jay Asser is the contributing editor for strategy at HealthLeaders. 


KEY TAKEAWAYS

Over 68,000 jobs were created by healthcare in May, contributing to an increase of 272,000 jobs overall, a report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed.

Ambulatory healthcare services saw the biggest gain within the industry, creating 43,000 jobs, while hospitals added 15,000.


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