With company layoffs announcements in the news every day, I decided to take a closer look into our jobs database, which at any time has around 200k postings, to see what industries are still hiring.  Not surprisingly, there are healthcare jobs to be found - over 30k across the U.S. Right after healthcare is engineering, finance/banking, education and technology. Given how hard the Wall Street finance sector has been hit, one might not expect to see finance/banking ranking third, but smaller banks, insurance companies and some financial services companies are still looking for entry-level talent.  Education is another bright spot with K-12 and universities looking for teachers, instructors and trainers.

I also compared industries by their relative competitiveness. The finance/banking sector, one area significantly impacted by bankruptcies and rescue mergers, has the highest applies per job, indicating many candidates chasing the positions that exist. On the other hand, healthcare with plenty of jobs is the least competitive, highlighting that there is still a tight labor market in that sector.

What we won’t know for a while is how President Obama’s stimulus package will impact certain industries (education, energy, healthcare etc.) and spur job growth. In the meantime, know that some of the industries that Gen Y is interested in are the same ones that are still hiring.

On a related note, we recently published a whitepaper entitled “Y Gen Y: Maintaining Access to Top Talent” to inform employers about the importance of the Gen Y generation to the future success of their business. Even in a downturn, it really does pay to think about the long-term. Watch the video, download the tips and share your advice with other employers.