The healthcare workforce declined 3.5 percent between February 2020, before the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and February 2021, according to an analysis released March 17 by nonprofit researchers Altarum.
Based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Altarum estimates the U.S. healthcare workforce declined from 16.49 million jobs to 15.92 million jobs during that period.
The analysis found that healthcare employment has continued to fluctuate in January and February.
In February, healthcare added 19,900 jobs, but "revisions to the previous two months took away more than 50,000 jobs from January estimates, so that January figures now represent a one-month drop of about 85,000 healthcare jobs — a very large drop by historical standards," according to the analysis.
Overall, the analysis estimates healthcare employment is down by about 65,000 jobs so far in 2021, compared to the end of 2020, and that employment in hospitals is down 40,000 jobs this year.
Read the full analysis here.