Healthcare Remains No. 1 Source of U.S. Job Creation
The nation's unemployment rate fell last month to 8.6 percent from 9 percent, its lowest level since 2009 thanks in part to robust hiring in the healthcare industry. Healthcare remains the No. 1 source of job creation in the U.S. economy.
The healthcare sector created 17,200 jobs in November, an increase over the 11,600 jobs created in October, according to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Healthcare accounted for 14.3 percent of 120,000 new jobs created across all sectors last month. Overall, healthcare represented 24 percent of the 1.2 million non-farm jobs created this year.
Healthcare is expected to create 321,000 new jobs by year's end, representing a 22 percent increase over the number of healthcare jobs produced last year (263,400).
Where are the new healthcare jobs concentrated? Ambulatory services, which include physicians' offices, rehabilitation services, outpatient care, emergency care, dental practices and diagnostic services, accounted for 58 percent of new healthcare jobs so far this year. Hospitals created 83,200 new jobs this year.
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Lauren Meade is the community marketer for Merion Matters, the parent company of ADVANCE Custom Promotions. In this role, she develops and implements social media marketing strategies for the Custom Promotions and Healthcare Shop departments as well as the
ADVANCE family of trade magazines. Since joining Merion Matters in 2007, Lauren also worked on the editorial staffs of
ADVANCE for Healthy Aging and
ADVANCE Custom Communications. Prior to Merion Matters, Lauren worked as a correspondent for
The Boston Globe, covering suburban politics and general news. Lauren holds a master's degree in journalism from Boston University and a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University, in Bloomington, Ind. You can reach Lauren at
lmeade@advanceweb.com.