The March 2022 Bureau of Labor Statistics Hiring Situation Report revealed that 431,000 new jobs were added last month and the unemployment rate continued to tick down, now at 3.6%.

U.S. job growth picked up the pace in February, adding 678,000 new jobs and edging the unemployment rate down to a two-year low of 3.8%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics February 2022 Hiring Situation Report. 

In celebration of Valentine’s Day, we invited our nurses to post on Instagram and share with us what they LOVE about nursing earlier this month. We received several submissions and are pleased to announce the winner, who will receive a $250 Spa Finder Giftcard.  But first, take a look at just a few of our favorite submissions!

We love our nurses! Feel the love this Valentine's Day season by entering yourself to win a Spa Finder Giftcard! As the photo says above to enter, post a photo on Instagram, tag @HealthTrustWS and use the hashtag #HWSNurseLove. 

The U.S. added a robust 467,000 jobs in January 2022 while the unemployment rate rose to 4% from 3.9%. However, the economy is still missing as many as 4 million workers who likely would be employed now had the pandemic never happened amid a record-breaking surge in COVID-19 cases nationwide. 

Within healthcare, 18,000 jobs were added in the first month of 2022 and growth was seen throughout the sector. Ambulatory care settings added 14,700 jobs and hospitals added 3,400 jobs, while employment in nursing and residential care facilities remained relatively flat, down 100 jobs.

The final 2021 U.S. Labor Department Employment Situation Report once again provided evidence that COVID, in particular the spread of the Omicron variant, has restrained job growth.  A smaller-than-expected 199,000 jobs were added in December 2021 and the unemployment rate hit edged down to 3.9% from 4.2% . Furthermore, according to the Bureau's Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), workers left their jobs at record-breaking pace of 4.5 million resignations.

The healthcare sector recorded a loss of 3,100 jobs and 52,000 resignations took place within the larger healthcare and social-assistance industry. The healthcare sector gained 143,800 jobs in 2021, remains down 449,500 jobs since pre-pandemic levels.

The Labor Department revealed slow job growth in November, with just 210,000 new jobs added to payrolls. November's increase in hiring was the smallest in a year and was well below the half a million jobs expected by economists. The unemployment rate hit a new pandemic low, coming in at 4.2% from 4.6%.  The data indicates that the worst labor shortage in decades continues to heavily impact economic growth.  

Healthcare employment was virtually unchanged in November (+2,100). Within the industry, employment in ambulatory health care services continued to trend up (+17,000), while hospital lost 3,900 jobs and nursing and residential care facilities lost 11,000 jobs. Employment in health care is down by 450,000 since February
2020, with nursing and residential care facilities accounting for nearly all of the loss.

The Labor Department reported that 531,000 jobs were created in October, a sign that economic activity is picking up in the early fourth quarter. The unemployment rate dipped to 4.6% from 4.8%. Despite record-breaking numbers of job openings, millions of Americans remain unemployed and outside of the labor force.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that job growth dropped to the slowest pace seen this year, adding just 194,000 new jobs in September and marking the second consecutive month of decline. The unemployment rate dropped to an 18-month low of 4.8%, partially offset by those leaving the labor force. August payrolls were revised to show a revised job gain of 366,000, up from the originally reported 235,000. Overall employment remains 5.0 million jobs below the pre-pandemic peak in February 2020.

The COVID-19 Delta variant likely tampered with job growth last month, according to the August 2021 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Hiring Situation. In August 235,000 jobs were added to the U.S. economy, the fewest jobs in seven months and less than half of the average monthly job growth of 586,000 that has been seen this year. The unemployment rate dropped to a 17-month low of 5.2%, down from 5.6%, a 16-month low. Employment is up by 17 million since April 2020 but down by 5.3 million, or 3.5%, from its pre-pandemic level in February 2020.

While the healthcare sector overall lost 4,900 jobs in August, hospitals marked the second consecutive month of job growth, adding 3,200 jobs. Job losses occurred in nursing and residential care facilities (-6,900) and in ambulatory care settings (-1,200). Ambulatory care has typically been the largest job-producing segment within healthcare’s economic rebound. Overall, 513,400 healthcare jobs have been lost since the start of the pandemic in February 2020, with nursing homes accounting for the majority of job loss (-383,200). Hospitals lost 84,800 jobs and ambulatory care settings lost 45,300 jobs during the same time period.