Medical

When the Uniform Retailers Association heads to Las Vegas in October for its third annual show, they'll do so under a cloud of economic uncertainty. "Business is changing, and right now everyone is cautious," says the group's co-founder, Melanie Imlay.

With good reason. Considered recession-proof, the healthcare industry has begun to show cracks in its armor, with several big hospitals announcing layoffs recently. And in February, the number of mass layoffs for hospitals was double what it was a year ago, according to government data. "We're hearing different things from different parts of the country," continues Imlay. "How retailers are doing depends on how big the medical community is in their area."

But the overall picture isn't as dismal as one might expect. More than 16 million people, or one in eight workers on U.S. payrolls, work in health care today. In fact, it's one of the few segments that actually added jobs - about 500,000 – since the start of the recession, according to the Wall Street Journal. While the rate has slowed, the industry still managed to create 17,000 jobs per month in the first three months of this year. "We're very fortunate," says Imlay. "I wouldn't want to be supplying the hospitality sector right now."

Others in the healthcare market appear to share that sense of optimism and good fortune. Interest in the upcoming show is strong, according to Steve Land, another URA co-founder. "In terms of attendees, we're ahead of where we were last year at this time," he notes.  

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