While the economy continues to struggle and unemployment numbers remain steady, it's good to see not all areas of expertise are feeling the wrath. Among the professions that seem to thrive regardless of the economic climate, registered nurses are always in need., making the Top Hire list yet again.
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DENVER - It is a number on the road to economic recovery that many have been waiting to see for a long time. Friday morning, experts believe the national jobs report for March will show an increase of about 190,000 workers. That would only be the second time since 2007 that employment numbers went up.
The increase is expected to have an effect on the national unemployment rate which sits just below 10 percent.
It will be a few more weeks before Colorado's new figures are released.
For those looking for work, it is a positive sign.
There is also new information from another report the state has been working on for years. This report pinpoints the fields that are expected to have the most hiring.
9NEWS talked to the chief economist of the Colorado Dept. of Labor and Employment, Alexandra Hall, who says just because Colorado's unemployment numbers saw a slight increase does not mean no one is getting hired.
Hall says there are certain industries that are in more need than ever before and they are listed on the Department of Labor's "Top Jobs List."
The "Top Jobs List" refers to occupations that over the long term have the best prospect for stability.
The highest demand jobs falling in the "On-The-Job Training" category are food preparation workers, customer service reps, and home care aides.
For the jobs requiring higher education, computer software engineers and accountants were on the list.
"Registered nurses always make the list, or at least [have] for the last 10 to 20 years," Hall said.
Over and over again on the list are health care professions.
Interim Healthcare, one of the largest medical staffing companies in the state, receives 400 new clients per month with hiring needs.
"There are still needs that go unmet in the market every day. Where the hospitals don't have enough employees, and even agencies like ours, still aren't providing enough nurses to provide the needs in Denver," Interim Healthcare owner Larry Martin said.
Martin says the nursing shortage is only going to get worse.
"With the baby boomers coming of Medicare age, retirement age, there's just an increasing demand, an ever-increasing demand on the health care system," he said.
Martin says it is not just nurses in need, but entry-level non-medical home caretakers.
"Every day counts dramatically in terms of dollars potentially saved by transitioning patients from a hospital environment into a homecare environment," he said.
The economist 9NEWS spoke with also says Colorado is doing better than most states in the nation.
Two reasons are because we do not have a housing bubble and because we have a more diverse industry make-up.
To read the list of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment's "Top Job List" for highest demand and highest salary positions, visit http://10.33.31.55/lmigateway/gsipub/index.asp?docid=317.