Employment at U.S. hospitals climbed 0.14 percent in February to a seasonally adjusted 4,719,300 people, according to a federal Bureau of Labor Statistics issued last week.
The number of employed was 6,800 more than in January and 131,800 more than in February 2008. Without the seasonal adjustment, which removes the effect of fluctuations due to seasonal events, hospitals employed 4,703,700 people in February 2009, 2,200 more than in January and 130,100 more than a year ago.
The news was not so good in other areas of the American economy, however, as the national unemployment rate rose from 7.6 percent to 8.1 percent.
The U.S. economy shed an additional 651,000 jobs in February.