One bright spot in the national jobs report last week was employment increased in the health care sector, a factor the largest health care employer in the southcentral Kentucky region finds encouraging.

The Obama administration had predicted 160,000 jobs would be added in May; however, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures released last week showed only 38,000 jobs were added. The combination of households and establishment surveys is plus or minus about 100,000 jobs, according to the way the BLS report is compiled, meaning there is a lot of leeway in the jobs-created figure, and creation of just 38,000 jobs nationally is statistically insignificant.

Health care sector jobs showed growth in the Friday BLS report while other major employment sectors were flat.

The nation’s unemployment rate declined by three-tenths of a percentage point in May to 4.7 percent. The BLS said the number of unemployed persons declined by 484,000 to 7.4 million. The highest jobless rate posted among major worker groups was 16 percent for teenagers.

The health care sector added 46,000 jobs in May, with an increase of more than 24,000 jobs created occurring in ambulatory health care services, the federal government said. That good news for one local health care entity.

“Health care organizations across the country are actively seeking caring, compassionate and well-educated individuals to join their workforce,” Lynn Williams, vice president of human resources for Commonwealth Health Corp., said in an email. Commonwealth Health is based in Bowling Green and is the region’s third-largest overall employer.

“As the demand for health care services continues to grow, so does the need for health care workers. It takes people to deliver health care services,” Williams said.

Williams said there is a wide variety of jobs available in health care that are generally well paid and provide stable, consistent opportunities for employment.

“At Med Center Health, our jobs range from entry level to those requiring the highest levels of education. In order to assure a continuous supply of qualified candidates we establish alliances with high schools, vocational/trade schools and colleges/universities to prepare and attract individuals who will help us meet the health care needs of our communities,” Williams said.

“The employees who work for CHC/Med Center Health are among the best in the world; their dedication to our communities and to the work that we do is truly life-changing,” Williams said.

“The employment outlook for health care is strong and will likely only continue to increase over the next several years. I always encourage individuals who enjoy helping others and want to make a difference in the lives of others to explore career opportunities in health care,” she said.  

Hospitals in general saw an increase of more than 17,000 jobs created in May, while nursing care facilities created more than 5,000 jobs, the BLS said.

Over the year, health care employment has increased by 487,000, the government said.

The BLS said the unemployment rate and the number of unemployed persons both have shown little movement from August 2015 to April 2016.

The unemployment rate in May was one tick higher for adult men, 4.3 percent, compared with adult women, 4.2 percent.

People classified as long-term unemployed – jobless for 27 weeks or more – dropped by 178,000 to 1.9 million in May and account for 25.1 percent of the unemployed, the government said. The number of persons unemployed for less than five weeks dropped by 338,000 to 2.2 million.

The BLS noted that when a sample, rather than the entire population is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates may differ from the true population sampled. The household data consists of a sample survey of about 60,000 eligible households conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the BLS.

Establishment data include information on employment, hours and earnings of employees on non-farm payrolls, the BLS said.

— Follow business reporter Charles A. Mason @BGDNbusiness or visit bgdailynews.com.