Nursing and residential care facilities saw an increase of 3,435 jobs in July, a slow increase compared to 3,429 added jobs in June and 3,417 jobs in May.

The sector saw more jobs added compared to the same month last year, with 3,321 jobs added in July 2024, according to the employment situation news release published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) last week.

More moderate job gains among nursing homes is a far cry from the first several months of the year, with nursing home jobs increasing by 6%, or an increase of 6,000 between April and May, according to a previous BLS jobs report.

The jobs growth slowdown coincides with major updates to the nursing home staffing rule, with a federal judge in Texas throwing out the rule in a legal decision in April. Just one month later, the House GOP reconciliation bill, which has since passed into law, included a moratorium on the federal nursing home staffing mandate for a decade.

This section was broken down further to account for skilled nursing facilities, continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs), and those that care for residential, intellectual and developmental disability, mental health and substance abuse facilities, as well as “other” residential care facilities.

Of those categories, skilled nursing facilities also saw a gradual increase in seasonally adjusted job growth, from 1,544 in May to 1,553 in July. In July 2024, skilled nursing facility job growth was 1,493, meaning this year saw a moderate jump in the sector.

The other categories that fall under nursing and residential care facilities say the same trend.

Overall, payroll employment and the unemployment rate changed little since April, BLS said, with 73,000-plus nonfarm employment and a 4.2% unemployment rate. When it comes to industries, health care and social assistance trended up while the federal government continued to lose jobs.

Health care alone added 55,000 jobs in July, above the average monthly gain of 42,000 over the prior 12 months. Notable job gains included ambulatory health care services at 34,000 and 16,000 for hospitals in July.

Following this jobs report on Friday, President Trump fired BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, claiming the data was “rigged” and monthly revisions were “concocted,” according to multiple reports.

But revisions in the data are common, a report from CNBC found. BLS jobs reports become more accurate in the months after an initial report is filed, as more data comes in from businesses reporting their hiring and firing numbers.