KFF: Healthcare Generated 75% of US Job Growth Past Year
A Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker analysis published Oct. 5 finds healthcare added 372,000 jobs between September 2025 and September 2026, accounting for roughly three-quarters of all U.S. job growth during that period while the rest of the economy added just 124,000 jobs. Healthcare now represents a record 11.7% of all U.S. jobs, though September's gain of 17,000 jobs lagged the prior year's monthly average of 33,000. KFF attributes the growth to aging demographics, rising chronic disease burden, competitive pay, and the hands-on nature of healthcare work that resists automation. The analysis also warns that coverage losses tied to 2025 reconciliation act provisions affecting Medicaid and ACA marketplace enrollment, projected by CBO to push the uninsured population from 26.6 million to 37.4 million by 2036, could strain hospital revenue and workforce levels in coming years.