Senior living, home care add jobs, while positions in nursing homes decline

Long-term care saw mixed results in the employment situation summary for August, released Sept.6 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Continuing care retirement communities and assisted living communities collectively added 3,300 jobs in August, and home health gained 5,500 new jobs. Jobs in nursing homes and other residential care facilities, however, decreased by 2,600 and 3,600, respectively. 

Overall, the health care sector added 31,000 jobs last month. That number is about half the average monthly gain of 60,000 over the previous 12 months, the BLS said. Still, the greatest gains among the 142,000 jobs added in the U.S. economy in August were seen in health care and construction. Jobs in health care services increased by 24,000 last month, mostly in ambulatory care and hospitals. 

The jobless rate in August was 4.2% compared with 3.8% a year ago. 

Average hourly earnings increased by 0.4% last month following a 0.2% increase in July.