The American labor market is moving in different directions, depending on the sector. While demand in healthcare and social assistance continues to rise, the government sector and several traditional, office-based fields are reducing their headcounts, according to visualcapitalist.com.
The source presents the net change in US employment by sector over the 12-month period from September 2025 to September 2026, based on seasonally adjusted preliminary estimates provided by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
• Care services maintain positive employment growth
The healthcare sector (371,800) and the social assistance sector (148,600) together generated over 520,000 jobs during the year, making care services a key driver of employment growth in the US. Furthermore, the healthcare services sector has become the primary employer in over 80% of the states.
Construction (109,000) and professional and business services (123,000) also served as significant sources of new jobs. However, substantial declines in the government sector (216,000), the information sector (120,000), and financial activities (107,000) offset a large portion of these gains.
Hospitals and home healthcare providers together created 188,800 jobs, accounting for approximately half of the growth recorded in the healthcare sector. Additional hiring also took place in medical offices, outpatient centers, and nursing and residential care facilities.
Within the social assistance sector, expansion was driven by services for individuals and families, which added 152,800 positions. Conversely, the number of employees in childcare saw a slight decline, highlighting the divergent hiring trends across various types of care services.
• An aging America requires more care services
America’s aging population is a major factor driving the demand for care personnel. The number of Americans aged 65 and older reached 61.2 million in 2024, an increase of 13% compared to 2020. This expanding population is driving a growing…
