Healthcare employment increased by 55,000 in December, with ambulatory services leading the way, according to a Jan. 6 Bureau of Labor Statistics news release.
Hospitals grew their workforce by 16,000 and ambulatory healthcare services rose by 30,000. Nursing and residential care facilities saw their workforce expand by 9,000, according to the bureau, which described the gains as "notable."
Job growth in healthcare rose by an average of 49,000 a month in 2022, "considerably above" the 2021 average of 9,000 monthly, according to bureau statistics.
The specific gains in healthcare come against the background of total nonfarm payroll employment increasing by 223,000 in December with unemployment edging down to 3.5 percent. The 223,000 figure was above Dow Jones expectations of approximately 153,000.
When healthcare payrolls increased by smaller amounts late last year, Fitch Ratings said such data showed "incremental signs of improvement" in the labor crisis affecting the industry.