Healthcare jobs account for 17% of total new jobs

Although healthcare jobs represented 17% of the economy's total new jobs in August, job growth in the sector is still sluggish, analysts say.

The healthcare sector added 16,700 new jobs in August, an increase of 0.1%, according to figures released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

It also was not great news for nursing homes, which had a 2.6% lower hiring rate in August when compared to a month before. These new numbers bring the healthcare industry's total employment to 14.4 million jobs. Hospitals did better, with employment rising by .12% in August. Hospitals are employing 83,600 more people than a year ago, according to the BLS.

Though economists were slightly encouraged to see that unemployment fell to 8.1%, the 96,000 new jobs added to the economy falls far below what they were hoping to see, the Associated Press reported.