Health Care Job Growth Slows in June

Health care added just 13,000 jobs in June, which was half of its average monthly growth rate in the past year but still comprised 16 percent of all new jobs in the national economy last month. Physician offices posted an overall loss of jobs, while hospitals showed a small gain.

Healthcare employment overall had one of its slowest months in a year, growing by 0.1% in June, according to seasonally adjusted figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (PDF). Monthly growth has been averaging 0.2% since June 2011.

For the 12 months ended in June, healthcare has added 324,500 jobs to a workforce of 14.4 million, amounting to a 2.3 percent annual growth rate.

Hospitals added 3,700 jobs in June, or 0.1 percent—which was also about half the typical growth of 0.2 percent seen in the past year. For the 12 months ended in June, hospitals have added 95,400, or 2 percent, to a workforce of 4.8 million.

Physician offices, meanwhile, lost 3,400 jobs in June. For the past year, the physician-office sector has been adding nearly 0.3 percent per month, but June saw a 0.1 percent loss. In the past 12 months, physician-office employment has added 76,700 jobs, or 3.3 percent, to a workforce of 2.4 million.

Joe Carlson writes for Modern Healthcare, a sister publication of Workforce Management. Comment below or email editors@workforce.com.

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