A Few Bright Spots In Dim Jobs Picture

State's Milder Employment Climate A Plus For Those Willing To Be Flexible And Retrain

No question, the job market is grim.

With employers continuing to lay off workers in droves, the national unemployment rate climbed to 8.9 percent in April.

But job seekers are finding some hiring bright spots amid the drumbeat of discouraging news.

Industries such as education, health care and the federal government are adding jobs nationally and in Maryland. And there are signs that hiring activity is picking up in the Baltimore region, employers and recruiters say.

Howard County General Hospital is looking to hire 220 health care professionals, including 140 medical nurses, patient care technicians, secretaries and other support staff for its new patient pavilion that's scheduled to open in August.

"We're growing, and that growth is going to continue with the aging of the population," said Dorothy Brillantes, senior vice president of human resources at the hospital.

Insurer MassMutual wants to hire 30 workers to sell its products in the Baltimore region. And AirTran is looking for three dozen customer service agents and ramp workers at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport; it's holding a job fair there June 2. The airline has hired 80 new employees at BWI Airport since the beginning of the year, a spokesman said.

"There are plenty of jobs out there and plenty of companies hiring," said Estelle Newman, president of Baltimore recruiting firm CareerWise Inc.

Still, the job cuts have been brutal for more than a year, particularly in the financial, construction and manufacturing sectors. But the pace of job losses slowed in April, signaling that the labor market might be stabilizing. Meanwhile, employment in health care and the federal government grew by 17,000 and 66,000, respectively, last month. The hiring at the federal government was largely due to adding temporary workers for Census 2010.

In Maryland, government, health and education sectors also added jobs in March. Some economists believe the state also could benefit from government stimulus spending.

Bob Hart, division manager of Ajilon Professional Staffing in Baltimore, is seeing signs of renewed interest by companies in starting to hire workers.

"What you're seeing is that things have settled, and some of the staples in Baltimore are hiring again," he said.

Demand for the agency's service has been growing in the past three weeks, Hart said. For instance, the firm received a hiring request from a client that it had not heard from in eight months.