Who’s hiring?

A recent report on the national job picture showed that jobs in the private sector increased by 71,000 in July. N.C. State University economist Mike Walden answers the question, Who is hiring?

“Perhaps surprisingly one of the biggest hirers recently has been car manufacturers — vehicle manufacturers. In July, nationwide they added 28,000 jobs. And I think that is because the auto industry domestically has revived a little bit.

“Health care — health care — is always at the top of the list. Health care has been one of the strongest sectors during the recession. They added 20,000 jobs in July.

“Trucking jobs are on the increase. That is an area that I would encourage anyone who is looking for a job that is going to put you outdoors, you don’t need a college degree for — look at trucking. Trucking jobs increased in July by over 10,000.

“We had some increase in manufacturing jobs outside of the auto manufacturers. Fabricated metals jobs increased by about 9,000. And then we also had significant job increases in areas like mining, retailers and wholesalers, computer system companies and tourism.

“So the bottom line is, yes, there are some folks hiring. One on the problems, one of the problems that some businesses are finding is they get a lot of applicants, but they can’t find folks that have the skills that those businesses need.”