Nursing and residential care facilities collectively added 8,000 jobs in October, according to Friday’s jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The sector’s job gains were lower than those of other areas in healthcare, which overall added 58,000 jobs in October. That amount is in line with the average monthly gain of 53,000 over the prior 12 months, according to the BLS. The greatest gains in healthcare were in ambulatory healthcare services, which added 32,000 jobs, followed by hospitals, with an additional 18,000 jobs.
Overall, the US economy added 150,000 jobs in October, with job gains occurring in healthcare, government and social assistance. Job gains declined in the manufacturing sector due to the United Auto Workers’ strike.
Social assistance employers collectively added 19,000 jobs in October, which is down slightly from the average monthly gain of 23,000 over the prior 12 months. Social assistance employment in October came largely from the area of individual and family services, which added 14,000 jobs.
Meanwhile, government employment increased by 51,000 jobs in October and has returned to its pre-pandemic February 2020 level, the BLS reported.
Job growth in the government sector was in line with the monthly average gain 50,000 over the previous 12 months. According to the data, 38,000 of the jobs gained in government in October were at the local level.
The unemployment rate held steady, increasing slightly to 3.9% in October from 3.8% in September.
“The unemployment rate has been below 4% for 21 months in a row, the longest stretch in more than 50 years,” President Biden said Friday in a statement.
Overall last month, average hourly earnings for employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased 0.2% to $34. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 4.1%, the BLS noted.
