October 10, 2012 – Healthcare added 44,000 jobs to the nation’s economy in September, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.
Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 114,000 in September, and the unemployment rate decreased to 7.8 percent. For the first eight months of the year, the unemployment rate hovered between 8.1 and 8.3 percent. The number of unemployed persons decreased by 456,000 to 12.1 million in September. Roughly 40 percent of unemployed persons have been out of work for six months or more.
The largest growth area in healthcare was in ambulatory care services, which added 30,000 jobs. Hospitals added 8,000 jobs. Employment in nursing and residential care facilities grew by 5,700 jobs. Over the past year, employment in healthcare has risen by 295,000.
Job gains were also made in transportation and warehousing, which saw an increase of 17,000 jobs. Employment in financial activities edged up by 13,000 jobs in September, reflecting modest job growth in credit intermediation, up 6,000 jobs, and real estate, up 7,000 jobs.
BLS revised its original figures for jobs added in July and August. The new numbers reflect 86,000 more new jobs than were initially reported for those two months.
Source: Heathcare Finance News
