Healthcare Job Growth Chugs Along in November

The 77,000 job gains in November was well above the average 54,000 jobs healthcare created over the past 12 months.

Healthcare accounted for nearly 40% of the 199,000 new jobs created in the United States in November, federal data show.

The 77,000 new jobs reported to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in November is well above the 54,000 average monthly gain over the past 12 months.

Within healthcare, ambulatory care services continued to lead in job creation, accounting for 36,000 new jobs for the month. Hospitals accounted for 24,000 jobs, and nursing and residential care accounted for 17,000 jobs.

The better-than-expected job gains in the overall economy in November lowered the unemployment rate to 3.7%, BLS says, with 6.3 million people reporting as unemployed, about 100,000 fewer than reported in October.

The 199,000 new jobs in November is below the monthly average of 240,000 new jobs over the past 12 months, but it is in line with growth in recent months, BLS says.

Big job gains also were seen in government (49,000), leisure and hospitality (40,000), and professional services (15,000) social services (16,000). Manufacturing gained 28,000 jobs, reflecting the return to work of striking auto workers. 

The retail sector was the big loser in November, shedding 38,000 jobs, including 19,000 lost jobs in department stores, and 6,000 jobs at furniture, home furnishings, electronics and appliance retailers.  

The average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls in November rose by 12 cents, or 0.4%, to $34.10. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 4%. The average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees rose by 12 cents, or 0.4%, to $29.30. 

November and October job numbers are considered preliminary by BLS, and subject to revisions.