In the midst of glum employment news, the assisted living sector offers a bright spot: It created 3,900 jobs in August, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

This demonstrates the “growing need for assisted living care and services, as well as the critical role assisted living plays in a currently sluggish U.S. economy,” says David Kyllo, executive director of the National Center for Assisted Living. “These newly hired workers will have a positive impact on local communities, while also helping the nation’s economy recover and expand.”

While the U.S. unemployment rate is 9.1%, healthcare has shined over the past year, adding 25,500 jobs per month during the 12-month period ended in August. Total healthcare job growth for that period was 305,900.

Nursing care facility employment rates, however, have had a more modest growth of 21,800 jobs over the past year.