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After the great debate at the Supreme Court and the brouhaha after the Obama Healthcare Plan got the nod, the healthcare industry quickly demonstrated its clout on the job market by adding 12,000 jobs to the national economy in July, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported recently.

The report validates earlier indications that demand for healthcare was soaring, with most of the job openings expected for medical office assistant, registered nurse, pharmacist, clinical laboratory technician, physical therapist, occupational therapist, paramedic, and massage therapist (not necessarily in that order).

For starters, nonfarm payroll employment hit 163,000 in July, even as the unemployment rate essentially held steady at 8.3 percent. Significantly, the total number of unemployed persons, at 12.8 million, and the unemployment rate remained unchanged in July, both showing little movement in fact since the beginning of this year. 

Ambulatory care services accounted for the biggest growth area in the healthcare sector, with 8,900 jobs. Nursing and residential care facilities, on the other hand, were the only negatives, shedding 2,200 jobs.
In comparison, June 2012 added 64,000 jobs to the economy, 13,000 of them healthcare jobs. May 2012 was significantly more robust though, with healthcare growing by a whopping 33,000 jobs.
The BLS report also indicated that employment improved in professional and business services, food services, and drinking places and manufacturing.

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