Four Signs The Job Market Is Improving

Rick Newman at U.S. News points to four indicators that are encouraging about the job market.

1. No more big layoffs. In 2008 and 2009, companies laid off thousands of workers at a time. Some of the eye-popping axings: 59,000 at Citigroup, 47,000 at General Motors, 12,000 at Starbucks.
2. All major sectors are hiring. Job-search firm Indeed.com says that in all 12 industries it monitors, hiring has risen significantly from a year ago. Job postings in transportation are up 119 percent from 2009, for example. In manufacturing they’re up 67 percent, and in retail, 55 percent. The surprising laggard is the healthcare industry, where job postings are only up 17 percent. But that’s probably because healthcare, which is somewhat recession-proof, never had the mass layoffs that other industries did.
3. Some workers are hard to find. In a recent survey by recruiting firm Manpower, 14 percent of U.S. companies said they struggle to find people with specialized skills like welders, electricians, carpenters, sales reps, and nurses.
4. The private sector is adding jobs. Private-sector hiring has increased every month this year, a gradual but positive trend that indicates the most important part of the economy is healing.

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.