Healthcare adds 28,000 jobs in November, mostly through ambulatory hiring
Hospitals, meanwhile, added 5,500 jobs in the month.
Healthcare businesses added 28,400 jobs in November, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics announced on Friday, bringing the total to 407,000 jobs added by the sector in the past 12 months.
Overall, the U.S. economy added 178,000 jobs and the unemployment rate fell to 4.6 percent.
Ambulatory healthcare services, which included physicians offices, dentists and various outpatient centers, by far added the most in the month with 22,200 new positions created. Hospitals, meanwhile, added 5,500 jobs.
Medical laboratories lost 600 jobs in the month while nursing care facilities lost 200.
Healthcare's total job gain for the month was slightly lower than October, when the sector added 31,000 jobs.
Here's the seasonally adjusted breakdown for the healthcare sector. All numbers are in thousands:
| Industry | Nov. 2015 | Sept. 2016 | Oct. 2016 | Nov. 2016 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industry | Nov. 2015 | Sept. 2016 | Oct. 2016 | Nov. 2016 | Change |
| Healthcare | 15,267.00 | 15,618.50 | 15,645.60 | 15,674.00 | 28.4 |
| Ambulatory healthcare | 6,967.50 | 7,182.50 | 7,199.30 | 7,221.50 | 22.2 |
| Physicians offices | 2,564.20 | 2,626.60 | 2,630.30 | 2,637.70 | 7.4 |
| Dentists offices | 917.3 | 943.1 | 944.7 | 944.8 | 0.1 |
| Other healthcare offices | 823.7 | 870.3 | 874.6 | 879.8 | 5.2 |
| Outpatient care centers | 757.4 | 789.9 | 793.9 | 799.2 | 5.3 |
| Medical and diagnostic laboratories | 261.1 | 259.2 | 260.6 | 260 | -0.6 |
| Home healthcare services | 1,349.60 | 1,399.40 | 1,402.60 | 1,404.80 | 2.2 |
| Other ambulatory healthcare | 294.2 | 294 | 292.6 | 295.2 | 2.6 |
| Hospitals | 4,987.60 | 5,104.60 | 5,115.10 | 5,120.60 | 5.5 |
| Nursing and residential care facilities | 3,311.90 | 3,331.40 | 3,331.20 | 3,331.90 | 0.7 |
| Nursing care facilities | 1,659.20 | 1,659.90 | 1,657.40 | 1,657.20 | -0.2 |
| Residential mental health facilities | 609.3 | 613.1 | 613.9 | 614 | 0.1 |
| Community care facilities for the elderly | 882 | 894.1 | 894.9 | 895.5 | 0.6 |
| Other residential care facilities | 161.4 | 164.3 | 165 | 165.2 | 0.2 |
Twitter: @HenryPowderly
Contact the author: henry.powderly@himssmedia.com
