The MedZilla Report for July, 2009 - Health Care Creates 20,000 More Jobs As Economy Hit...( Health care ...)

Health care jobs continue to be both created and lost each month, though the average of new jobs in the industry remains at 20,000 monthly, and health care has one of the the lowest unemployment rates of any field in the U.S. However, companies ancillary to health care, such as insurers, are feeling the economic pinch more and more.

(Vocus) August 12, 2009 -- There is a dichotomy between simultaneous job creation and job elimination in health care, and other fields as well. Those seeking new jobs in that industry are used to seeing layoffs alongside reports that jobs remain available and the field in fact continues to grow. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, health care employment continued to grow as it has done for the first half of 2009, with about 20,000 new jobs created in July. This remains 10,000 below the average monthly job creation number for 2008, but it is still a very positive statistic. Also, the unemployment rate within the health care field is 6.1 percent – the lowest rate among all job classes measured by the Bureau except government workers and the self-employed.

The declining U.S. economy has begun causing layoffs in areas not traditionally associated with each other. One of those is in insurance. When companies try to cut costs, employee benefits are generally part of the mix. For example, when GM and Chrysler cut their dental coverage, more than 50 people at one dental insurer were affected. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama cited similar troubles when they cut more than 150 people last month. Other services are also being eliminated – leading to job losses – including social services agencies such as the Association for Individual Development in Aurora, Ill., which served 1,100 persons with disabilities.

Last month, the