Work in progress: 2010 could bring uptick, but most companies are in no hurry to hire.

• Author: Caley, Nora

If the recession is over, can jobs be far behind? Many laid-off workers hope the news about the economy improving means work will follow.

Employers say they are at least thinking about adding staff in the new year, but many don't want to say how many they're hiring or how they're screening all those resumes. Human resource experts say some industries are indeed adding staff, but the unemployment rate won't improve quickly.

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'The story for 2010 is that the overall monthly employment patterns appear to be returning to normal," says Gary Horvath, managing director of the business research division of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He says the normal pattern is that employment falls to its lowest rate in the first quarter of the calendar year, then increases through the summer and into the fourth quarter, especially during the retail season.

That steady increase didn't happen in 2009. According to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Colorado lost 100,600 jobs from October 2008 to October 2009. But here's a sliver of good news: From September 2009 to October 2009, 1,000 jobs were added.

Horvath has more positive news. Although the recession touched most industries, government and health care remained mostly unscathed. He says if a federal healthcare bill passes, that will add jobs not only in clinical areas but in collections and IT.

WHERE THE JOBS ARE

Chris Akers, a statistician in the Labor Market Information Office with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, says job growth in Colorado is flat. He agrees that health care and government are the bright spots. Citing October 2009 preliminary data, Akers says health care and social-assistance employment grew by 6,400 workers or 2.9 percent compared to October 2008. Employment in ambulatory health care grew by 3,000 workers (3.3 percent), nursing and residential care facilities added 1,200 jobs (3.2 percent), social assistance added 1,200 (3.1 percent) and hospitals added 1,000 (1.8 percent).

Educational services in private educationgrew by 700 jobs, or 2.3 percent, and government employment rose by 6,200 workers or 1.6 percent.

Darryl Hoogstrate, chief operating officer and co-founder of the technical recruiting firm The Innovar Group, says most of the activity he's seeing is in federal government contractors, health-care services, medical devices and renewable energy.

"We are also seeing a good amount of...