Both the unemployment rate and the number of jobless persons decreased in November to 10 percent and 15.4 million, respectively, according to the most recent date from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That was down from October, when the unemployment was at an all-time-high of 10.2 percent and there were 15.7 million unemployed persons.
In addition, although employment fell in several industries, several groups saw little change or added jobs in November. Employment in professional and business services rose by 86,000, with temporary help services adding 52,000 jobs, the majority of the increase. Since July, temporary help services employment has risen by 117,000. Health-care employment rose to 21,000 in November, with gains in home health-care services (7,000) and hospitals (7,000). The health-care industry has added 613,000 jobs since the recession began in December 2007. While there was little change in wholesale and retail trade, department stores added 8,000 jobs over the month. Finally, the number of jobs in transportation and warehousing, financial activities, and leisure and hospitality showed little change over the month.
As these numbers continue to trend upward, there should be hope for the millions of people still looking for a job in 2010. The labor force is projected to increase by 12.6 million people during the 2008-18 period, according to the BLS. Total employment is expected to increase by 10.1 percent, adding about 15.3 million workers over the decade -- including in 2010.
It should be noted, however, that the jobs that will be added won't be evenly distributed across industries and occupational groups. It goes without saying that changes in consumer demand, technology and the like will continue to affect the economic structure.
If you're looking for a job this year, here are 55 (of many) jobs to look for in 2010, defined as jobs that saw growth in the second half of 2009 in every industry.*
Industry: Management, business and financial operations
Jobs that saw growth in management:
1. Marketing and sales managers
2. Purchasing managers
3. Property, real estate and community association managers
Jobs that saw growth in business and financial operations:
4. Wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products
5. Cost estimators
6. Meeting and convention planners
Industry: Professional and related occupations
Jobs that saw growth in computer and mathematics:
7. Computer programmers
8. Network systems and data communications analysts
9. Statisticians
Jobs that saw growth in architecture and engineering:
10. Electrical and electronics engineers
11. Materials engineers
12. Engineering technicians, except drafters
Jobs that saw growth in life, physical and social sciences:
13. Market and survey researchers
14. Psychologists
15. Urban and regional planners
Jobs that saw growth in community and social services:
16. Counselors
17. Social workers
18. Religious activities and education director
Jobs that saw growth in legal:
19. Judges, magistrates and other judicial workers
20. Paralegals and legal assistants
Jobs that saw growth in education, training and library:
21. Archivists, curators and museum technicians
22. Librarians
Jobs that saw growth in arts, design, entertainment, sports and media:
23. Designers
24. Athletes, coaches, umpires and related workers
25. Editors
Jobs that saw growth in health-care practitioner and technical:
26. Chiropractors
27. Occupational therapists
28. Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians
Industry: Service occupations
Jobs that saw growth in health-care support:
29. Nursing, psychiatric and home-health aides
30. Massage therapists
31. Dental assistants
Jobs that saw growth in protective services:
32. Firefighters
33. Bailiffs, correctional officers and jailers
Jobs that saw growth in food preparation and serving related occupations:
34. Chefs and head cooks
35. Bartenders
Jobs that saw growth in building and grounds cleaning and maintenance:
36. Pest control workers
37. Grounds maintenance workers
Jobs that saw growth in personal care and service:
38. Tour and travel guides
39. Child-care workers
40. Recreation and fitness workers
Industry: Sales and office occupations
Jobs that saw growth in sales and related:
41. Cashiers
42. Advertising sales agents
43. Travel agents
Jobs that saw growth in office and administrative support:
44. Customer service representatives
45. Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping
46. Office machine operators, except computer
Industry: Natural resources, construction and maintenance
Jobs that saw growth in construction and extraction:
47. Carpenters
48. Cement masons, concrete finishers and terrazzo workers
49. Electricians
Industry: Installation, maintenance and repair
Jobs that saw growth:
50. Automotive body and related repairers
51. Electrical and electronics installers and repairers, transportation
Industry: Production, transportation and material moving
Jobs that saw growth in production:
52. Bakers
53. Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers and weighers
Jobs that saw growth in transportation and material moving:
54. Refuse and recyclable material collectors
55. Industrial truck and tractor operators
*Data reflects figures based on the second- and third-quarter employment numbers according to the Current Population Survey released by the BLS.
By Rachel Zupek writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues. Follow her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/CBwriterRZ.