Annual Change in HC&SA Subsector Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted, Full-Year Change for 2021-2025, Year-to-Date Change for 2026)
HWDC Releases May 2026 Health Workforce Brief Series 2: Regional and Sectoral Employment
The Department of Health Professions' Healthcare Workforce Data Center has released the May 2026 issue of its Virginia Health Care Workforce Brief Series 2: Regional and Sectoral Employment. Data in this Brief is not seasonally adjusted.
According to preliminary estimates, Northern Virginia’s Health Care & Social Assistance (HC&SA) sector enjoyed its largest employment gain in one year after creating 1,200 new jobs in April. This increase in employment in Northern Virginia’s HC&SA sector represents a one-month annualized growth rate of 8.4%. With this gain, Northern Virginia has now increased employment by a total of 1,700 so far this year. Hampton Roads is currently the only other region in the state that enjoys positive year-to-date HC&SA employment growth: After having produced 300 jobs for the second consecutive month in April, Hampton Roads’ HC&SA sector has now increased employment by a total of 1,100 so far this year. Meanwhile, Richmond enjoyed even stronger HC&SA employment growth during the month. In April, Richmond’s HC&SA sector created 400 new jobs, which translates into a 5.3% annualized employment growth rate. On the other hand, the Rest of Virginia saw HC&SA employment fall by 500 during the month.
Most of this month’s HC&SA employment growth in Virginia occurred in Ambulatory Health Care Services, which created 2,400 new jobs across the state in April. This increase in Ambulatory Health Care Services employment represents a one-month annualized growth rate of 12.9%. In addition, this also represents the third consecutive month in which employment in Ambulatory Health Care Services has increased. In total, this HC&SA subsector has produced a total of 3,500 new jobs so far this year. None of Virginia’s three other HC&SA subsectors currently enjoy positive year-to-date employment growth. This is the case even with Nursing & Residential Care Facilities even though this HC&SA subsector produced 300 new jobs in April, which translates into a 4.5% annualized employment growth rate. Meanwhile, Social Assistance lost 1,200 jobs in April, and Hospitals saw employment decline by 100 during the month. Both of these HC&SA subsectors have now lost jobs in three out of the past four months.
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