Where the jobs are

This is a follow up to my previous post, "How to Survive a Layoff". In that post I discussed how to approach your job search after being laid off. Feel free to engage any of those techniques as you explore "Where the Jobs Are".

Here are some questions and answers about who is hiring.

Q: What fields are hiring?
A: Even Friday's (Dec 7th) dismal November jobs report had tiny positive glimmers in the form of fields that are doing a little bit of hiring — mostly in the low thousands, and nowhere near enough to offset the hundreds of thousands of job losses elsewhere. Look to your "Monopoly" board for a couple of the industries that are hiring: railroads and utilities. Others are just as old school, like the logging and mining sector, and food, drink and tobacco manufacturing. The oil business is still adding a few jobs, as is pipeline transportation. General merchandise stores also did some pre-holiday hiring.

Q:Which jobs are considered "recession proof"...jobs that are still expanding in a volatile economy?
A: Accounting. The more companies reorganize, the more accountants they need.
Nursing: One field where there is still a shortage, and openings at most hospitals.
Computer I-T: With companies keeping computers longer, they need people to fix them and update software.
Commission Sales Reps: In a recession, companies are desperate for good salespeople.
Security: You can't have enough security guards these days.
Building maintenance, as companies hold off on new offices.
The US Census Bureau...which is now hiring thousands of workers to prepare for Census 2010.

Q: What industries generally don't shrink when times are bad?
A: Health care and education tend to stay flat during bad times. That's it. This recession has sparked a surge in federal spending — so much so that the government hopes to add about 100,000 jobs this year.

Q: Are there specific jobs, even at companies laying people off, that will continue to be filled?
A: Yes. In the financial services sector, some hiring continues as companies lay off workers who make $350,000 and replace them with workers who make $75,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc., which cut 10 percent of its staff in the last few months, has been running select help wanted ads for junior positions.

Q: Are some states better off than others?
A: Yes. Even in industries that are shrinking nationally, the reality is rosier in some places than in others. Connecticut, for instance, has seen its financial services workforce shrink only slightly, despite widespread layoffs in New York, thanks to its more stable insurance base. The state's construction industry is also holding up better than construction is nationally. Similarly, Wyoming's energy industry continues to hire.

Job placement firms may be the number one place to turn to right now. Many companies are holding off hiring full-time employees until they see a bottoming of the economic crisis. Accepting a "temp to hire" positon could lead to a full-time position. If companies keep telling you they are under a hiring freeze right now, ask about a "temp to hire" position, where they take you on as a temp with no commitments. Then if the economy starts to look better in 2009, you'll have an edge over outside applicants.