Having already averaged 10 “mass layoffs” of 50 or more employees per month across the nation, hospitals have experienced a jump to 16 such layoffs in the month of October.

This year is keeping tempo with the record 152 mass layoffs in 2009 experienced by hospitals. In October alone, 9,898 requests were made for unemployment benefits according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Despite such numbers, the big picture shows overall employment growth, albeit at a slower rate compared to pre-recession figures. October saw the addition of 5,100 additional payrolls, a rate which doubles last years numbers for the same time period.