Compared to April, U.S. healthcare employment is growing, according to a new analysis from nonprofit research firm Altarum.
For the analysis, released June 17, Altarum examined jobs data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Five things to know:
1. Healthcare added 22,500 jobs in May, primarily in ambulatory healthcare services — compared to a revised estimate for April of 8,100 jobs gained.
2. Total healthcare employment is at the level it was in December (15.98 million jobs).
3. Employment in the industry is down about 500,000 jobs, or 3.1 percent, compared to February 2020.
4. Hospitals added 2,900 jobs in May, but total hospital employment is still 28,000 jobs below where it was last December.
5. Nursing and residential care facilities lost 2,400 jobs in May, and employment in residential care settings is down 340,000 jobs, or 12.7 percent, since February 2020.
Altarum also recently analyzed healthcare spending using pricing data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. More information about that analysis is available here.