The health care industry added 28,300 jobs in May, down from 34,300 jobs added in April, according to a recent report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Health care employment slows

While the health care industry still saw overall employment gains in May, the industry is down 223,000 jobs—or 1.3%—from where it was in February 2020, according to the report.

Within the industry, hospitals saw a large jobs increase in May, adding 16,300 jobs. This represents the largest hiring increase since December 2020. Previously, hospitals gained 4,500 jobs in April and 5,100 jobs in March.

Nursing and residential care facilities added 5,600 jobs in May, ambulatory health care services added 6,400 jobs, and physician offices added 5,800 jobs.

However, offices of health practitioners saw a drop in employment, losing 3,900 jobs in May, marking the sector's first drop in employment since April 2020.

Medical and diagnostic laboratories added 1,400 jobs, and outpatient care centers added 1,100 in May.

Overall, the United States gained 390,000 jobs in May, down from 428,000 jobs gained in April. The unemployment rate in May remained at 3.6%, which is roughly the same as it was in February 2020 when it was at 3.5%. (Gooch, Becker's Hospital Review, 6/3; Devereaux, Modern Healthcare, 6/3)