Healthcare jobs and the Great Recession

Abstract

The Great Recession of December 2007 to June 2009, during which the unemployment rate reached 10.0 percent, had a devastating effect on the American economy. How did the healthcare portion of the economy respond to this downturn? Did employment in healthcare mirror that of the overall economy, or was healthcare recession proof? Using data on employment and wages provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, this article looks at employment trends for the nation, the healthcare component of the labor market, and the largest healthcare industry groups within that component during 2001–14 and 2007–10. The article finds that the Great Recession had little negative effect on job growth in healthcare compared with its effect on the national economy. For the most part, this was true regardless of occupational setting or geographic location.