Despite the gains, employment in healthcare is down by about 378,000 jobs (2.3%) from where it was in February 2020.
February 4, 2022 / Jeff Lagasse, Associate Editor
After a rough end to 2021 in terms of job losses, healthcare appears to be on the rebound – for now. The latest jobs report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed hospitals gaining jobs in January, though the industry is still below the levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic.
In total, the healthcare sector saw a gain of 18,000 jobs last month. It lost 3,100 jobs in December; the prior month, November 2021, was the last time the sector as a whole saw job gains, when it posted a net gain of 2,100.
Hospitals in particular made up for some, but not all, of the job losses seen during the tail end of 2021. They gained 3,400 jobs in January after losing 5,100 jobs in December and 3,900 in November.
The last time hospitals gained jobs was in October, when it added 1,100. Hospitals lost 8,100 jobs in September.
The biggest gain was in ambulatory healthcare services, which gained 14,700 jobs during the month. Physicians offices added 9,700 jobs. Nursing and residential care facilities lost about 100 jobs in January.
