According to a September 1, 2023, report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics the number of health care jobs increased by 71,000 in August, which is up from 63,000 in July. Hospitals increased 14,500, nursing and residential care facilities increased 16,500, and home health care services increased 11,000. Job increases in nursing and residential care services for August exceeded the 11,500 added in July.  In aggregate, the U.S. added 187,000 non-farm jobs last month, the same number as were added in July.

The nation’s unemployment rate rose by 0.3 percentage point to 3.8% in August, which is little different from a year earlier, when the unemployment rate was 3.7%. However, the Bureau’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover report for July 2023 confirms that demand for labor continues to notably exceed supply, with data showing a ratio of 0.7 unemployed persons per job opening, i.e., there are approximately 1.5 jobs for every individual seeking employment.