Healthcare employment growing while US job market missing 2.6M people

Editor's Note

According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022 ended on a high note as far as healthcare employment trends go, with December reflecting 16,687,700 employed workers—up 54,700 from November—and a rise of 15,700 in hospital jobs.

Overall healthcare job growth in 2022 averaged 49,000 jobs each month, compared with a monthly average of 9,000 in 2021, and ambulatory healthcare services gained the most jobs, with 29,900 in December, Becker’s Hospital Review January 19 reports.

Employment trends in other industries in the US, however, show a worrisome picture, with some 2.6 million fewer people participating in the labor force compared to workforce participation pre-pandemic, Becker’s added, citing a January 18 Bloomberg report. Further research showed that “low-wage workers in high-cost areas are missing from the job market,” and “the US is missing about a fifth of its low-income workforce compared to the beginning of 2020.”

The latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that employment nationwide rose by 223,000 in December, and that the unemployment rate decreased to 3.5%, Becker’s noted.