Healthcare and social assistance job openings fell by 147,000 in June, the largest single-month decline for the sector in nearly a year, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released Aug. 4.
The drop brought healthcare and social assistance openings to 1.347 million, down from 1.494 million in May, according to the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. The sector’s job openings rate fell to 5.3% in June from 5.9% in May.
Overall, total U.S. job openings declined 178,000 to 7.359 million in June from 7.537 million in May . Healthcare’s decline was the single largest contributor among private industries, accounting for the bulk of the 187,000 drop across the total private sector.
Hires and layoffs across all industries held largely steady in June, with total hires at 5.3 million and layoffs and discharges unchanged at 1.8 million, according to the BLS.
The data arrive as health systems continue to manage labor costs. Hospitals added 9,000 jobs in June, below the prior 12-month average of 38,000 monthly jobs across the broader healthcare sector, according to the BLS Employment Situation report released July 2.
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