Skip to Content
Back to Press Room


CareerBuilder and EMSI Release Top Markets with the Best Job Growth Post-Recession and Occupations That Are Making a Comeback

CHICAGO, October 24, 2012 – Which industries and locations are producing the most job growth post-recession? Which occupations are re-emerging after significant elimination of jobs during the recession? CareerBuilder and Economic Modeling Specialists (EMSI) answer these questions with a new study tracking labor trends in the U.S. The study uses EMSI’s rich labor market database, which pulls from over 90 national and state employment resources and includes detailed information on employees and self-employed workers.*

“Job creation in the U.S. is on an upward trajectory,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder. “While growth has been slower or stagnant in certain areas, there is a wide range of industries where the production of new jobs has accelerated. Markets tied to energy, production, technology, healthcare, transportation and consulting have increased employment 10 to 30 percent over the last few years.”

The following is a list of specific industries where job growth has increased by double digits with an addition of at least 20,000 jobs from 2010 to 2012:

  • Internet Publishing and Broadcasting and Web Search Portals – 28,333 jobs added since 2010, signifying 30 percent growth
  • Drilling Oil and Gas Wells – 21,970 jobs added, up 29 percent
  • Electronic Shopping – 25,327 jobs added, up 23 percent
  • Crude Petroleum and Natural Gas Extraction – 32,715 jobs added, up 21 percent
  • Temporary Help Services – 438,116 jobs added, up 21 percent
  • Machine Shops – 44,754 jobs added, up 18 percent
  • Marketing Consulting Services – 27,113 jobs added, up 13 percent
  • Computer Systems Design Services – 88,740 jobs added, up 12 percent
  • Specialized Freight (except used goods) Trucking, Local – 22,936 jobs added, up 11 percent
  • Home Health Care Services – 116,360 jobs added, up 10 percent

Top 10 Locations With the Most Job Growth

“There is a close correlation between the top locations for job growth and the concentration of fast-growing industries in those markets,” said Ferguson. “Technology hiring is a big contributor for growth in the Bay Area and Raleigh, while Texas cities, Oklahoma and Salt Lake are benefiting from strong oil and gas activity. The rebound in manufacturing helped to land Detroit in the top 10 while healthcare continues to thrive in Phoenix.”

The 10 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), out of the most populous metros, with the most job growth from 2010 to 2012 are:

1) San Jose, CA (includes Sunnyvale and Santa Clara) – 63,290 jobs added since 2010, signifying 7 percent growth

2) Houston, TX (includes Sugar Land and Baytown) – 165,969 jobs added, up 6 percent

3) Austin, TX (includes Round Rock and San Marcos) – 49,131 jobs added, up 6 percent

4) Detroit, MI (includes Warren and Livonia) – 92,407 jobs added, up 5 percent

5) Salt Lake City, UT – 34,137 jobs added, up 5 percent

6) Oklahoma City, OK – 28,992 jobs added, up 5 percent

7) Raleigh, NC (includes Cary)– 24,725 jobs added, up 5 percent

8) Dallas, TX (includes Forth Worth and Arlington) – 128,644 jobs added, up 4 percent

9) San Francisco, CA (includes Oakland and Fremont) – 84,014 jobs added, up 4 percent

10) Phoenix, AZ (includes Mesa and Glendale) – 81,606 jobs added, up 4 percent

Re-Emerging Jobs

In most states, production occupations are rallying after major job losses during the recession. The resurgence is seen most among computer-controlled machine tool operators, an occupation with more workers now than in 2007. However, machinists, engine assemblers, and other production jobs are getting close to pre-recession employment levels.

  • Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders – jobs declined 16 percent from 2007 to 2009, and then increased 16 percent from 2010 to 2012.
  • Computer-Controlled Machine Tool Operators, Metal and Plastic – jobs declined 13 percent from 2007 to 2009, and then increased 14 percent from 2010 to 2012.
  • Pourers and Casters, Metal – jobs declined 23 percent from 2007 to 2009, and then increased 13 percent from 2010 to 2012.
  • Engine and Other Machine Assemblers – jobs declined 16 percent from 2007 to 2009, and then increased 13 percent from 2010 to 2012.

*EMSI data is collected from more than 90 federal and state sources, such as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Census Bureau, and state labor departments. EMSI removes suppressions often found in publicly available data and includes proprietors, creating a complete picture of the workforce.

About EMSI

Economic Modeling Specialists Intl. (EMSI) is a CareerBuilder company that provides industry-leading employment data and economic analysis via web tools and custom reports. EMSI has produced more than 1,200 comprehensive impact analyses for colleges and universities in the US and internationally, and our web tools — Analyst and Career Coach — are used by thousands of professionals in higher education, workforce and economic development, and the private sector.

About CareerBuilder®

CareerBuilder is the global leader in human capital solutions, helping companies target and attract their most important asset - their people. Its online career site, CareerBuilder.com®, is the largest in the United States with more than 24 million unique visitors, 1 million jobs and 49 million resumes. CareerBuilder works with the world’s top employers, providing resources for everything from employment branding and talent intelligence to recruitment support. More than 10,000 websites, including 140 newspapers and broadband portals such as MSN and AOL, feature CareerBuilder’s proprietary job search technology on their career sites. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company and The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI), CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in the United States, Europe, South America, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit http://www.careerbuilder.com/.


CareerBuilder Media Contact
For all media inquiries and interview requests, contact:

Jennifer Grasz
(P) 773-527-1164
(E) jennifer.grasz@careerbuilder.com