The healthcare sector was one of the top drivers for job growth in the past month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Of the 292,000 jobs added in the United States, 39,400 of them came from the healthcare sector.

Professional and business services, food service and construction were some of the other sectors experiencing substantial job growth. Overall, the economy added 2.7 million jobs in 2015.

In December, most of the rise in healthcare employment occurred in ambulatory health care services (+23,000) and hospitals (+12,000). Job growth in healthcare averaged 40,000 per month in 2015, compared with 26,000 per month in 2014.

Year-over-year, the healthcare sector saw payrolls increase from 14,914,600 employees nationwide to 15,389,800 employees, an increase in growth from 2014 and more than doubling the number of jobs added in 2013. If the sector remains on pace, it could supplant retail as the largest industry in the U.S. in less than three years, according to Dan Diamond.