Jan. 7 — U.S. hospital employment rose 2 percent from December 2011 to December 2012, an increase of 87,800 people, according to a new Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report. That number was up 0.24 percent (or 11,700 people) from November 2012 to December.

The actual hospital employment data totals (seasonally adjusted to remove the effect of seasonal events) were 4.77 million people in December 2011, and 4.85 million in November 2012, rising to 4.86 million in December 2012.

In comparison, overall healthcare employment totals (seasonally adjusted)—including ambulatory health care services and nursing and residential care facilities, as well as hospitals—was 14.52 million in December 2012, up from 14.19 million in December 2011 (a 2.3 percent increase), and from 14.48 million in November 2012 (a 0.28 percent increase).

Meanwhile, the overall national unemployment rate stayed stable at 7.8 percent from November to December 2012, per the recent Employment Situation Summary from BLS.

Publication Date: Monday, January 07, 2013