Home Health Grabs Most of Health Care Industry’s May Job Growth

Thousands of health care workers joined the home health care sector in May 2013 while the hospital and nursing home sectors saw thousands of jobs depart. 

Overall health care employment increased by 11,000 jobs in May 2013 including the almost 7,000 added to the home health care sector, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ most recent report.

Despite the substantial number of jobs added to the health care industry in May, it’s actually a sharp decline from the prior year, when job growth averaged 24,000 a month.

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While the hospital sector lost 6,000 jobs, home health care gained 6,900 employees and outpatient care centers gained 4,000.

In May 2012, the health care and social assistance industry gained 36,600 jobs—more than every other sector included under the private service-providing industry. 

Home healthcare employees numbered around 1.19 million in May 2012 and their ranks have grown almost 7% to 1.27 million employees by May 2013.

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There are around 2.5 million home care workers in total, according to the Paraprofessional Health Institute, and it’s the fastest growing occupation in the nation, with “massive need” for more workers expected. 

The number of employees in nursing and residential care facilities also edged upwards from 3.19 million last May to 3.21 million one year later, despite a loss of 2,700 employees in the nursing care facilities sector between April and May 2013. 

Check out the May jobs report.

Written by Alyssa Gerace