The healthcare sector in the United States maintained a steady pace of growth in February, adding 19,000 jobs, according to the latest employment report issued Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The employment picture as a whole remained promising, with 313,000 jobs added to the economy. The nationwide unemployment rate held steady at 4.1 percent.
Based on non-seasonally adjusted figures, fewer healthcare jobs were added in February than in January (33,800). However, the seasonally adjusted jobs numbers indicated a steady line of growth from December 2017 to January 2018 (23,700 jobs added).
The year over year unemployment rate for healthcare workers continued to decline. As of February 2018, it stood at 2.5 percent, contrasted with 3.2 percent in February 2017.
As in months past, hospitals (9,300) and ambulatory healthcare services (8,100) led the way in jobs added. Physician offices added 4,600 jobs, while home healthcare services added 4,000 and medical laboratories added 1,300.
Outpatient care services held steady at 919,600 total jobs nationwide, but dental offices lost 2,500 jobs nationwide.
Community care facilities for the elderly added 2,600 jobs in February, giving that sector a robust 22,400 jobs added from February 2017 until today.
