Hospitals and health systems lose 2,200 jobs in February

Hospitals and health systems lost 2,200 jobs in February, as U.S. jobs overall increased by 379,000, according to preliminary data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

BLS also revised January’s hospital job losses to 37,500 from 2,100, making January the worst month for hospital job losses since the beginning of the pandemic. Hospitals and health systems have added 26,300 jobs since the beginning of the pandemic, but remain below their February 2020 peak. Physicians, dentists and other office-based providers added jobs this February, while nursing and residential care facilities shed about 6,800.

The health care field overall added more than 19,900 jobs to remain just under 16 million total (seasonally adjusted).