We can safely say that 2009 was a year where the economy struggled, and we still have some work to do in 2010. However, this year 20 percent of employers plan to add new employees in 2010–in 2009 only 14 percent said so. Employers are certainly taking a wait-and-see approach to hiring, so expect them to remain cautious, but at least their outlook is definitely better than last year. Although 9 percent of employers expect to decrease headcount in 2010, that’s a significant increase compared to the 16 percent from last year.

If you’re wondering where the jobs are, look to the West, where 24 percent of employers intend to add full-time workers. Employers in the Northeast anticipate the next highest amount of hiring, followed by the South and Midwest.

The industries where you can expect to see the largest hiring increases are information technology, manufacturing, financial services, professional and business services, and sales.

Perhaps the one topic you care most about is pay. Specifically, should you expect a raise in 2010 or a high starting salary? Fifty-seven percent of employers report their companies will increase salaries for existing employees in 2010, down from 65 percent in 2009. Thirty-six percent expect to raise salaries of existing employees by 3 percent or more, while 11 percent anticipate increases of 5 percent or more.

Twenty-nine of employers plan to increase salaries on initial offers to new employees, down from 33 percent in 2009. Nearly one-in-five (18 percent) employers will raise salaries on initial offers by 3 percent or more while 7 percent anticipate increases of 5 percent or more.

What else should you expect in 2010? Employers intend to replace their lowest performing workers. They also intend to implement flexible work arrangements that help employees maintain a good work-life balance and consequently keep them happy. And in an effort to retain top talent, many organizations will ask some employees to postpone retirement or they will rehire some retirees.

To read more about what employers are planning, read the highlights here or the full forecast here.

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Quite often there’s a tidbit that intrigues me in my pre-caffeinated state and I’ll actually remember to follow up on it when I get to my computer. This morning was one of those occasions. One of the headlines glaring at me was about the high number of federal employees who earn six-figure salaries.

A story in USA Today reports that during a time when the overall U.S. workforce is struggling with layoffs, high unemployment, pay cuts and salary freezes, the federal workforce is growing in salaries and hiring. In fact, the number of federal employees who earn $100,000 or more grew by 46% between December 2007 and June 2009.

USA Today analyzed data from the Office of Personnel Management, which tracks the pay of federal workers. (The OPM excludes info about the White House personnel, Congress, Postal Service employees, intelligence agencies and uniformed military personnel).

Some of the key findings:

• “Federal employees making salaries of $100,000 or more jumped from 14% to 19% of civil servants during the recession’s first 18 months — and that’s before overtime pay and bonuses are counted.”
• “The growth in six-figure salaries has pushed the average federal worker’s pay to $71,206, compared with $40,331 in the private sector.”
• “The federal government is adding jobs this year of nearly 10,000 a month – the fastest pace since the 1960s when Medicare and Medicaid were created.”

The article attributes the salary boom to three things: pay hikes, a new pay system and the easing of pay caps.

Read the full story here complete with more analysis and interesting graphs.

If you’re interested in pursuing federal employment, try searching CareerBuilder.com using the keywords “federal government”, choose the “Government-Federal” in CareerBuilder’s categories menu, or go to http://www.usajobs.gov/.

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I did some detective work and found 20 jobs whose entry-level salaries range from $41,000 to $77,000 a year. Compare these to the national mean of $41,231 for all workers and that’s a nice chunk of change for starting out in a new career.

One thing to keep in mind: While there are jobs that pay well at the entry-level, that pay is usually related to education. If you want a high starting salary, you’ll have to do your homework … literally. Certifications, post-secondary education and baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate degrees are usually needed for these jobs.

Here are 20 jobs with high entry-level salaries, according to SalaryExpert.com, which powers CBSalary.com:

1. Athlete Agent
   Industry: Sales 
   Annual salary: $59,879
2. Compensation Analyst
   Industry: Health care 
   Annual salary: $54,568
3. Computer Information Scientist 
   Industry: IT 
   Annual salary: $65,624
4. Developmental Psychologist
   Industry: Health care 
   Annual salary: $45,241
5. e-Commerce Business Analyst 
   Industry: IT 
   Annual salary: $60,022 
6. ERI Specialist 
   Industry: Health care 
   Annual salary: $41,680
7. Hydraulic Engineer 
   Industry: Engineering 
   Annual salary: $60,729
8. Industrial Engineer
   Industry: Engineering 
   Annual salary: $65,600 
9. Industrial Health Engineer 
   Industry: Engineering 
   Annual salary: $54,716
10. Marine Engineering Machinist
    Engineering 
    Annual salary: $58,177
11. MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) 
    Industry: Engineering 
    Annual salary: $71,935
12. Medical Social Researcher
    Industry: Health care 
    Annual salary: $47,594
13. Product Marketing Engineer 
    Industry: Engineering 
    Annual salary: $53,156
14. Sales Engineering Agent
    Industry: Sales 
    Annual salary: $55,693
15. Scientific Artist
    Industry: Health care 
    Annual salary: $43,053
16. Software Developer 
    Industry: IT 
    Annual salary: $77,511
17. Systems Administrator 
    Industry: IT 
    Annual salary: $63,209
18. Systems Analyst Lead 
    Industry: IT 
    Annual salary: $74,518
19. Veterans Service Officer 
    Industry: Health care 
    Annual salary: $44,319
20. Web Developer 
    Industry: IT 
    Annual salary: $66,861

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This latest report also shed some light on discouraged workers:

Among the marginally attached, the number of discouraged workers in August (758,000) has nearly doubled over the past 12 months. Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them. The other 1.5 million persons marginally attached to the labor force in August had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey for reasons such as school attendance or family responsibilities.

It seems many of the people we at The Work Buzz are hearing from these days are discouraged. They say there aren’t enough jobs, there aren’t the right jobs, there aren’t any jobs.

Yes, it is taking more time these days to find a job, but hopefully, we can help you fight that job seeker fatigue. For example, we told you this week about a new CBsalary tool that matches salaries to jobs.

Many of you tell us that you’ll take any job as long as it pays the bills. Here’s one way this tool might fit in. Say you need to earn $50,000 to support yourself and your family. Type in your location and that number and — voila! — you’ll receive a list of jobs that match that pay an average of $50,000 in your area.

While we’re on the subject, we thought we’d give you a list to start with. Here are 50 jobs that pay an average of $50,000 annually in the United States:

1. Millwrights
   Annual average earnings: $50,040*
2. Mechanical engineering technicians
   Annual average earnings: $50,070
3. Industrial engineering technicians
   Annual average earnings: $50,130
4. Vocational education teachers, middle school
   Annual average earnings: $50,150
5. Food service managers
   Annual average earnings: $50,400
6. Vocational education teachers, postsecondary
   Annual average earnings: $51,020
7. Dietitians and nutritionists
   Annual average earnings: $51,540
8. Pile-driver operators
   Annual average earnings: $51,650
9. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians
   Annual average earnings: $51,960
10. Court reporters
    Annual average earnings: $52,150
11. Chemical plant and system operators
    Annual average earnings: $52,160
12. Construction and building inspectors
    Annual average earnings: $52,240
13. Elementary school teachers, except special education
    Annual average earnings: $52,550
14. Lodging managers
    Annual average earnings: $52,570
15. Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education
    Annual average earnings: $52,650
16. Police and sheriff’s patrol officers
    Annual average earnings: $52,950
17. Forensic science technicians
    Annual average earnings: $52,970
18. Special education teachers, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school
    Annual average earnings: $53,090
19. Tax examiners, collectors, and revenue agents
    Annual average earnings: $53,100
20. Boilermakers
    Annual average earnings: $53,110
21. Sound engineering technicians
    Annual average earnings: $53,150
22. Respiratory therapists
    Annual average earnings: $53,170
23. Advertising sales agents
    Annual average earnings: $53,230
24. Radiologic technologists and technicians
    Annual average earnings: $53,410
25. Appraisers and assessors of real estate
    Annual average earnings: $53,460
26. Educational, vocational, and school counselors
    Annual average earnings: $53,540
27. Vocational education teachers, secondary school
    Annual average earnings: $53,760
28. Employment, recruitment, and placement specialists
    Annual average earnings: $53,960
29. Insurance appraisers, auto damage
    Annual average earnings: $53,990
30. Electrical and electronic engineering technicians
    Annual average earnings: $54,050
31. Medical and clinical laboratory technologists
    Annual average earnings: $54,120
32. Real estate sales agents
    Annual average earnings: $54,700
33. Librarians
    Annual average earnings: $54,750
34. Training and development specialists
    Annual average earnings: $54,840
35. Music directors and composers
    Annual average earnings: $54,840
36. Special education teachers, secondary school
    Annual average earnings: $55,140
37. Surveyors
    Annual average earnings: $56,030
38. Property, real estate, and community association managers
    Annual average earnings: $56,280
39. Aerospace engineering and operations technicians
    Annual average earnings: $56,560
40. Engineering technicians, except drafters, all other
    Annual average earnings: $56,660
41. Legal support workers
    Annual average earnings: $57,060
42. Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists
    Annual average earnings: $57,080
43. Editors
    Annual average earnings: $57,300
44. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
    Annual average earnings: $57,630
45. Funeral directors
    Annual average earnings: $58,820
46. Public relations specialists
    Annual average earnings: $59,030
47. Sales representatives, services
    Annual average earnings: $59,150
48. Transportation inspectors
    Annual average earnings: $59,650
49. Arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators
    Annual average earnings: $59,780
50. Instructional coordinators
    Annual average earnings: $59,830

*National data according to the BLS

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Here are the news items that didn’t get quite as much attention:

• I don’t think we highlight veterans enough, and I think this is a story worth telling.
  Economy Makes Job Search Tough For Vets
• Can I also sue my high school teacher seeing as I’ve never once used the Pythagorean Theorem?
  Jobless NYC woman sues college for $70K in tuition
• Now don’t you feel ashamed of yourself for counting down the days until retirement? Or, you know, the weekend?
  101-year-old Dallas-area lawyer Jack Borden honored as nation’s ‘Outstanding Oldest Worker’
• We like pop culture, and we like learning. Here’s what Paula Abdul (yes, Paula) can teach you. Though I don’t know if I agree with the conclusion.
  Paula Abdul’s salary negotiation problem

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Now that that’s settled, here are some of the big stories making news today:

• Money, money, money. Mooooooney.
  Pay raises will be bigger – next year
• Part of me wants to say, “Well, duh.” But another part makes me think workers get distracted by all sorts of things. Thoughts?
  Study: Facebook use cuts productivity at work
• This news isn’t particularly sexy, but it’s worth knowing what’s going on.
  BLS report: Mass layoffs in June 2009
• This isn’t specifically related to jobs, but seeing as our economy’s interconnected, it’s relevant to the work force.
  U.S. home price gains may foretell recovery: report
  

See you tomorrow. Friday.

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 What does this mean? Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings increased by 3.1 percent, while average weekly earnings rose by only 1.2 percent – reflecting a sign of the times: a decline in the average workweek.

If you have money on the brain — and who doesn’t these days? — read on for our latest installment of highlights from Parade’s “What People Earn” issue. And if you need a Friday diversion, try playing Parade’s Salary Guessing Game.

Phylecia Ross, 31
Computer scientist
La Mesa, Calif.
$89,000

Alan Salmon, 53
Forensic video analyst
Norman, Okla.
$64,000

Patrick Dempsey, 43
Actor
Los Angeles, Calif.
$3.5 million

Julie Sorenson, 45
Certified nurse’s aide
Glenwood, Utah
$20,200

Jace Scribner, 40
Electrical contractor
Woodinville, Wash.
$165,000

Patricia Ringgenberg, 52
Air-quality specialist
Las Vegas, Nev.
$79,900

Carol VanHorn, 50
Part-time office mgr.
Kihei, Hawaii
$15,000

Will Ferrell, 41
Actor/comedian
Los Angeles, Calif.
$31 million

La Kisha Byrd, 31
Assistant investigator
Washington, D.C.
$46,400

Jose Aleixo, 48
Solar-energy worker
Dacula, Ga.
$70,000

Dave Dougherty, 42
Deputy sheriff
Philadelphia, Pa.
$47,800

Karen Carter, 41
Insurance agent
Oklahoma City, Okla.
$27,000

Norma Alicia Vargas, 39
Pharmacy technician
Brownsville, Texas
$32,900

David Borst, 66
Gambling counselor
Syracuse, N.Y.
$30,000

Connie Parker, 49
Legal assistant
Plant City, Fla.
$52,000

Ken Ardizzone, 54
Landscape gardener
Vista, Calif.
$77,000

Kathleen Douthat, 50
College counselor
Knoxville, Tenn.
$45,000

Mark Chiaramonte, 28
Chief operator, water treatment plant
Menifee, Calif.
$74,000

Leroy Ferguson, 44
Public housing analyst
Woodbridge, Va.
$65,000

David Chmielewski, 62
School bus driver
Land O’Lakes, Fla.
$18,700

Think you know who makes more?  Play the Salary Guessing Game

How do you stack up?  See how your salary compares to others

See more Real People, Real Salaries

*Average hourly and weekly earnings of production and nonsupervisory workers(1) on private nonfarm payrolls
by industry sector and selected industry detail.

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Today, we have a guest blog about salaries for the Class of 2009 from our friends at Parade magazine. Parade has been contributing weekly content to CareerBuilder and TheWorkBuzz related to its “What People Earn” issue, which reports on salary trends and the earnings of real Americans.

What People Earn: College Graduates Finding Bright Spots in Dreary Economy

By Brad Dunn, PARADE

The Class of 2009 has been watching the job market disintegrate since senior year began.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) released another round of discouraging data in early May. Fewer than one in five graduates who are looking for jobs have found one, and employers are planning to hire 22 percent fewer graduates this year than they did last year.

On top of that, the worst job market in 25 years has brought of a sense of déjà vu to households across the country. Many of the estimated 1.6 million students graduating college in May and June have parents who went searching for their first jobs in the equally dismal early-1980s. It’s an economic rerun for the whole family.

“You are graduating into a world of anxiety and uncertainty,” Vice President Joe Biden told graduates of Syracuse University. “But these are the moments you can embrace … only a handful of us ever get a chance to actually shape the course of history.”

History might need shaping, but now is a great time for graduates to embrace the positive. The numbers aren’t all bad.

For one, bachelor’s degrees are still vital for landing jobs. According to the U.S. Labor Department, the unemployment rate among four-year college graduates between age 20 and 24 is 6.1 percent, while those with only high-school diplomas is 19.6 percent.

Serious job hunters also can take advantage of their fellow graduates’ idleness. Right now, fewer students are seeking jobs than in years past. By this time in 2007, about 64 percent of graduates had begun looking for a job. In 2008, about 67 percent had begun. This year, only 59 percent have launched a job search. That’s about 130,000 fewer people competing for work.

“Whether they’ve decided to delay their careers because of the economy or don’t realize how tough the job market is, fewer grads have started job hunting,” said Andrea Koncz, employment information manager at NACE.

Another silver lining: Several industries actually are planning to hire more graduates this year than in 2008, including transportation, utilities and alternative energy.

“The big openings right now are in the solar industry. Anything green,” said Eric Lochtefeld, founder of University of Dreams, an organization that seeks internships for students. “The nice thing is there’s not a huge level of experience expected because it’s a new sector.”

Uncle Sam is also hiring. U.S. and state governments are planning to hire 6 percent more college graduates than last year, and federal are offering up to 60,000 internships.

“Not only is the government hiring, it’s providing salaries and benefits in line with the private sector,” said Tim McManus, vice president of education and outreach at the Partnership for Public Service. “We’re in a unique time and place in this country. Graduates who used to look for careers on Wall Street, for example, are now seeing that they can have a greater impact in government.”

For graduates who have landed jobs, how much are they earning?

To date, the average job offer to a 2009 graduate with a bachelor’s degree is $48,515, down about 2 percent from last year, according to NACE. (Parents who got their first jobs in the early 1980s had it slightly better. The average job offer for the Class of 1982 was $22,450 — or, adjusted for inflation, $49,485).

To be sure, an entry-level salary of $48,000 seems high in this economy. However, that amount represents only the one in five graduates who have already been offered employment, and pre-graduation job offers tend to come from relatively lucrative industries, including engineering, computer sciences and health care.

In specific fields of study, NACE found that the average job offer was $58,438 for engineering students; $57,693 for computer science students; $46,973 for business students; and, $36,807 for liberal arts students.

What about all those government jobs? McManus said most graduates with bachelor’s degrees receive a base starting salary from $33,000 to $42,000, plus ”locality pay,” which raises it between 13 percent and 34 percent depending on the cost of living where they work.

Job seekers’ increasing reliance on technology also gives graduates an opportunity to set themselves apart. Those who apply old-fashioned job-hunting techniques have a better chance of outmatching those who rely solely on online submission forms.

“Students say all the time, ‘I submitted my resume online and I never heard back.’” Lochtefeld says. “The best advice that I can give to students is stop playing the numbers game. Things that worked 20 years ago before the Internet — direct contact, person-to-person networking — still work today.”

Slideshow: See What Real Graduates Earn

Take a look at these recent grads to see what they’re really earning:

Jon, 24
TV news reporter
Mattydale, N.Y.
$25,500

Aubrey, 24
Social worker
Southaven, Miss.
$45,800

Joshua, 25
Crime investigator
Fayetteville, Ga.
$40,000

Nicole, 25
1st Lt. U.S. Army, specializing in finance
Fayetteville, N.C.
$36,900

Yordana, 25
Pharmacy technician
Tampa, Fla.
$23,000

Leah, 24
Ad-agency employee
Kernersville, N.C.
$28,000 

See What Real Graduates Earn

Think you know who makes more?  Play the Salary Guessing Game

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From the MRI technician in Baton Rouge, La. to the auto salesman in Abbington, Ill., meet this week’s 10 workers. Click on their job titles to find similar jobs posted on CareerBuilder.

Jimmy Jamie, 26
Home-health-care CEO
Charleston, W.Va.
$2.2 million

Laurie Metoyer, 37
MRI technician
Baton Rouge, La.
$48,000

Ronald Curell, 57
Carpenter
Mayville, Mich.
$35,500

Heather Kreiter, 35
Trading-card illustrator
Hermitage, Pa.
$17,000

Carol Toner, 65
Accounting manager
Woodville, Ohio
$38,400

Jennifer Aniston, 40
Actress
Los Angeles, Calif.
$27 million

Michael Olson, 44
Probation officer
Flagstaff, Ariz.
$58,000

Deni Scrudato, 56
City commissioner
Traverse City, Mich.
$4,100

Pradeep Das, 58
Library director
Ellenwood, Ga.
$41,500

Rick Sandoval, 46
Auto salesperson
Abingdon, Ill.
$48,200

Think you know who makes more?  Play the Salary Guessing Game 

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Every April, Parade magazine feeds our curiousity when it publishes its ”What People Earn” issue, which looks into the salaries of everyday and famous Americans. We talked about their annual issue a few weeks ago.

We’ve teamed up with our friends at Parade to give you more on this very topic. Every week, TheWorkBuzz will feature 10 real people across the country, what they earn and link to jobs similar to theirs. Take a look at this week’s list. C’mon, you know you want to know.

Beyonce, 27

Singer

New York, N.Y.

$80 million

Darin Anstine, 44

Fire chief

Fountain, Colo.

$102,000 

Ann Sin, 34

Math teacher

Clovis, Calif.

$66,000

Kathleen Mason, 44

Realtor

Midland, Ga.

$38,400

Alex Rodriguez, 33
Baseball player
New York, N.Y.
$34 million

Susan Meisner, 44

Port-of-entry inspector

Lenore, Idaho

$30,000

Alvaro de Molina, 51

CEO, GMAC

Charlotte, N.C.

$11.6 million

Joshua Gropper, 43

Trial attorney

New York, N.Y.

$400,000

Brian Davis, 39

Pharmaceutical sales rep

Katy, Tex.

$90,000

Eileen Coleman, 35

Website manager

Port Republic, Md.

$86,300

 Photography coordinated by J. Tyler Pappas Creative; Galley/Getty (Beyonce); Getty Images (Rodriguez)

Want to see more fom Parade? Click on the following links:

See more Real People, Real Salaries

How do you stack up?  See how your salary compares to others

Learn how our salaries are changing

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