Job growth continued last month, albeit at a slower pace. There were 88,000 new jobs created in March, which caused the unemployment rate to dip slightly to 7.6%. However, the growth was about half of the average monthly job growth seen over the last 12 months, 169,000. 
One of the few bright spots in the jobs report came from the healthcare industry. Healthcare added 23,000 jobs in March, which is similar to the prior 12-month average. Specifically, there were 15,000 jobs created in ambulatory health care services, such as home health care and physicians’ offices, and 8,000 in hospitals. The numbers are a good sign for those looking for jobs in the healthcare space. However, the increase in jobs is making things more difficult for healthcare employers, who, according to Bloomberg BNA, are having a hard time filling jobs. “For HR, in some areas our members are still saying they are having trouble finding people to hire, especially in professional services and health care,” Jennifer Schramm, manager of workplace trends and forecasting at the Society for Human Resource Management, told BNA. “Those are the areas where the economy has added the most jobs, and where SHRM members are having trouble filling their key vacancies.” Here at Barton, we see this report as a positive sign for the locum tenens market. It appears that even with declines in Medicare reimbursement, the job opportunities for physicians and nurse practitioners continue to grow. We are also prepared to help healthcare employers who are struggling to find permanent employees by filling the positions temporarily with locum tenens physicians and NPs.
One of the few bright spots in the jobs report came from the healthcare industry. Healthcare added 23,000 jobs in March, which is similar to the prior 12-month average. Specifically, there were 15,000 jobs created in ambulatory health care services, such as home health care and physicians’ offices, and 8,000 in hospitals. The numbers are a good sign for those looking for jobs in the healthcare space. However, the increase in jobs is making things more difficult for healthcare employers, who, according to Bloomberg BNA, are having a hard time filling jobs. “For HR, in some areas our members are still saying they are having trouble finding people to hire, especially in professional services and health care,” Jennifer Schramm, manager of workplace trends and forecasting at the Society for Human Resource Management, told BNA. “Those are the areas where the economy has added the most jobs, and where SHRM members are having trouble filling their key vacancies.” Here at Barton, we see this report as a positive sign for the locum tenens market. It appears that even with declines in Medicare reimbursement, the job opportunities for physicians and nurse practitioners continue to grow. We are also prepared to help healthcare employers who are struggling to find permanent employees by filling the positions temporarily with locum tenens physicians and NPs.
