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Healthcare hiring slows in January as sector adds 18,000 jobs

The jobs increase is less than half of the 41,000 jobs added by healthcare organizations in December 2016.
By Henry Powderly

Healthcare hiring slowed in January, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Friday, with the sector adding more than 18,000 jobs in the month.

The jobs increase is less than half of the 41,000 jobs added by healthcare organizations in December 2016.

The jobs report, the first released under President Donald Trump's administration, showed a total of 227,000 jobs added in the month, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 4.8 percent.

[Also: Healthcare adds 46,000 jobs in December, buoys weaker overall jobs report]

Overall, hospitals added 4,200 jobs while ambulatory centers, which includes doctors offices, outpatient centers and diagnostic laboratories, added 11,000 jobs.

Nursing care centers and laboratories both lost 1,200 jobs in the month.

Here's the seasonally adjusted breakdown for the healthcare sector. All numbers are in thousands: 

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Industry Jan. 2016 Nov. 2016 Dec. 2016 Jan. 2017 Change
Industry Oct. 2015 Aug. 2016 Sept. 2016 Oct. 2016 Change
Healthcare 15,242.90 15,558.40 15,598.90 15,617.20 18.3
Ambulatory healthcare 6,966.20 7,172.30 7,198.40 7,209.40 11
Physicians offices 2,497.10 2,552.60 2,558.50 2,559.30 0.8
Dentists offices 915.20 935.3 937.5 939.4 1.9
Other healthcare offices 831.90 879.8 885.3 887.5 2.2
Outpatient care centers 832.10 874 880.5 885.3 4.8
Medical and diagnostic laboratories 260.80 263.5 262.5 261.3 -1.2
Home healthcare services 1,340.60 1,377.20 1,382.50 1,387.00 4.5
Other ambulatory healthcare 288.50 289.8 291.7 289.7 -2
Hospitals 4,972.10 5,067.30 5,076.50 5,080.70 4.2
Nursing and residential care facilities 3,304.60 3,318.80 3,324.00 3,327.10 3.1
Nursing care facilities 1,645.70 1,643.00 1,646.60 1,645.40 -1.2
Residential mental health facilities 611.3 614.5 615.3 616.2 0.9
Community care facilities for the elderly 884.8 896.1 898.2 900.6 2.4
Other residential care facilities 162.70 165.2 163.9 164.9 1

Twitter: @HenryPowderly
Contact the author: henry.powderly@himssmedia.com

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