Industry News | 02.23.26
Healthcare Jobs Have Become the Engine of America's Labor Market
By NAMSS Staff
Wall Street Journal (02/11/26) Torry, Harriet; Putzier, Konrad.
Over the past year, demand for healthcare workers has quietly propped up the labor market as other sectors reined in hiring or even cut jobs. Nearly all of the 130,000 new jobs added in January were healthcare jobs or positions related to healthcare, according to the United States Department of Labor. Economists, though, say there is a risk in such heavy reliance on one industry if that sector sees a slowdown. Not everyone has the skills or desire to work in the field, said Laura Ullrich, director of economic research at jobs website Indeed. Currently, demand for nurses and nurse practitioners is so strong that care providers have to outbid each other, offering five-figure signing bonuses and generous paid time off. Many job candidates are juggling several offers, notes Sari Gillen, a Houston-based health care recruiter at Goodwin Recruiting. "It's a race to the finish line," she says.
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