Almost a third of all new jobs gained last month were in health care, according to the new jobs report put out Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
About 44,500 of the 155,00 seasonally adjusted, nonfarm payroll increase came from the health care sector, the BLS said in the report. Health care grew from about 14.47 million jobs in November to 14.52 million in December.
All told, health care employment grew by 338,000 jobs in 2012.
Doctors' offices added some 6,800 jobs in December, growing from a total employment of approximately 2.45 million to 2.46 million, while hospitals gained 11,700 jobs, growing from nearly 4.85 million to almost 4.86 million. Outpatient centers added 3,000 jobs, growing from 674,000 to 677,000.
Nationwide, unemployment hovered at around 7.8 percent, practically the same as in November.
