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Health Care Jobs Are Not Recession-Proof, Says WSJ

By Juli Morris on April 13, 2009 in Health Care.

The Wall Street Journal reported today that the traditionally protected jobs in our nation's health care industry are now coming under attack as employers, from hospitals and nursing homes to pharmaceutical manufacturers, feel the effects of the current recession:

Across the country, hospitals are taking financial hits. They are seeing losses in the portfolios that they rely on for investment income. The number of uninsured patients is rising. Elective procedures — which reap big profits — are down at a third of hospitals nationwide. Nursing homes are trimming payrolls. And with state governments continuing to cut budgets and talk of health-care reform from Washington, industry executives are preparing for even leaner times.

-The Wall Street Journal, April 13, 2009

As we have previously reported, WANTED's Hiring Demand data indicates that jobs in the health care sector are not safe, with the number of new job ads dropping into negative territory. It is possible that this trend is now beginning to show up in the economy as actual job losses. Read more »

Employment growth in Health Care may be slowing (Update 2)

By Juli Morris on April 3, 2009 in BLS Nonfarm Employment, Health Care.

The health  care industry is still adding jobs, according to today's BLS report, but just over half the job gains predicted by WANTED. According to the  BLS' Employment Situation, the health care sector gained 14,800 jobs in March. WANTED forecasted a gain of 28,600 jobs.

Chart

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We reported last month that new job ads as tracked by WANTED had slipped into negative territory, and indicated our concern that this trend may soon be reflected in a decline in actual jobs. Today's BLS number could indicate an acceleration of this process.

We're seeing the decline now at hospitals. The numbers were small, but March saw the first employment decline for hospitals since June 2004.

For more charts, graphs and forecasts, visit our BLS Forecast page.

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