Two percent is a beautiful thing…and we’re not talking milk

Time to break out the bubbly: according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (relayed by the New York Timesyesterday) the consulting industry is one of the few industry sectors to have increased employment since the onset of the recession (official start date: December 2007). That's right: to date, hiring in the management/technical consulting field has increased by two percent. And it's not alone: several sectors have posted job growth since then, with the Federal Government experiencing the third-highest bump at 6.5 percent. Leading the way in hiring, meanwhile, are oil and gas extraction, and home health care services—both reactions to two of the leading problems of the day: declining natural resources and an aging population.

Less happily, the same data also shows that some sectors have been decimated by the recession. So while you may be tempted to raise a glass to toast the relative health of the consulting industry, spare a thought for those in temporary help services or the motor vehicles and parts industry. Those sectors have shed 32.8 percent and 35 percent of their jobs respectively.

--Posted by Phil Stott