Employment in nursing homes rose last month, according to data released Friday from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The sector gained approximately 1,000 jobs, which is a significant rise from the previous month, which saw a loss of 19,500 jobs.
The healthcare industry in general saw notable job gains in May, according to the data. Most of the gains were in ambulatory care and outpatient services, with nursing home employment increases still lagging behind.
The healthcare sector added 23,000 jobs last month, a sign that the economy could be creeping back from the pandemic. Compared with February 2020, healthcare employment still is down by 508,000 jobs.
In May, the unemployment rate in the United States declined by 0.3 percentage point to 5%, according to the BLS. Employment across all sectors grew by about 559,000 jobs in May. The unemployment rate is getting closer to pre-pandemic figures, which was 3.5% in February 2020.
