Three Health Care Firms Among Largest Private Employers in Bay Area
Three health care firms are among the Bay Area's largest private employers, with Kaiser Permanente and Sutter Health the first- and second-largest employers, respectively, according to survey conducted by the San Francisco Chronicle. Kaiser reported more than 33,000 local workers, while Sutter Health and its affiliated not-for-profit hospitals reported about 22,600 workers in the area.
Catholic Healthcare West is the 26th largest private employer in the Bay Area with 4,175 employees.
Government agencies, public schools and public universities were not included in the survey.
Maribeth Shannon of the California HealthCare Foundation said, "Health care is a very labor-intensive industry," adding, "There is a lot of one-on-one interaction with people. And hospitals have to have round-the-clock coverage" (Wallack, San Francisco Chronicle, 2/22).