News: Healthcare accounted for 24% of all new U.S. jobs in 2023
In 2023, the healthcare sector created 653,000 new jobs in the United States, a 17% increase year-over-year from 2022. This accounts for 24% of all the jobs created in the overall economy, according to preliminary federal data announced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). December’s count of 38,000 new healthcare jobs was down from the 54,000 average month over month in 2023, but did account for almost 40% of the overall jobs created that month, HealthLeaders reported.
Within the healthcare sector, data shows the leading subcategories:
- Ambulatory services: Accounted for 19,000 new jobs in December, and 320,000 of all healthcare jobs in 2023
- Hospitals: Accounted for 15,000 jobs in December, and 183,000 of all healthcare jobs in 2023
- Nursing and residential care: Accounted for 3,200 jobs in December and 151,000 of all healthcare jobs in 2023
Overall, the healthcare sector made up 17.2 million U.S. jobs in 2023. The BLS also reported that the unemployment rate in December remained unchanged from November at 3.7%, with 6.3 million people reporting as unemployed. Other sectors with big job gains include government (52,000) and leisure and hospitality (40,000).
Editor’s note: To read HealthLeaders’ coverage of this story, click here. To see the BLS news release, click here.