Healthcare employment up in October

Editor's Note

Although job creation slowed markedly last month due to twin hurricanes and a labor impasse, healthcare employment led overall job creation in October, according to a Nov 1 report from CNBC.

That article cites the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), also released Nov 1. According to BLS, healthcare employment increase of 52,000 from October to November is in line with the average monthly gain of 58,000 over the prior 12 months. Employment also trended up in ambulatory healthcare services, which rose by 36,000.

At 4.1%, the overall unemployment rate changed little in October, while the number of unemployed people also remained steady at 7 million, BLS reports.

Overall, CNBC points out that job creation in October was at its “weakest pace since late 2020.” In addition to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the article cites the Boeing labor strike—which likely accounts for 44,000 of the 46,000 lost positions in manufacturing—as a contributing factor.