Health Jobs Outpace Soft Employment Report
Health jobs keep growing faster than other civilian, nonfarm jobs. Health care added 40,000 jobs in June, almost one in five of the 223,000 jobs added. At a seasonally adjusted growth rate of 0.27 percent, health jobs continue to grow significantly faster than other jobs, which grew at 0.14 percent (see Table I).
Although hospitals account for one third of health jobs, they are adding workers at a significantly slower rate than outpatient care centers and home health care services. Nursing and residential care facilities added jobs at about the same rate.
Longer term, the story is similar. Health care added jobs at a rate of 2.91 percent in the twelve months to June, while other jobs grew 2.02 percent (see Table II). Outpatient care centers and home health care services have experienced sustained jobs growth at a pace greater than other health services.
I continue to believe the relative decline in the rate of growth of hospital jobs is positive, because hospitals are often the least efficient location of care and too politically powerful.
