9 Jobs That Grew After the Recession

NEW YORK (MainStreet) -- A good job is hard to find in this economy, but one recent report shows it's not impossible.

Of all the jobs lost during the recession and its aftermath, the occupations that were hardest hit were midlevel positions, which accounted for 60% of the jobs lost between the first quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2010, according to an analysis of labor data by the National Employment Law Project.

Midwage positions are defined as those paying between $13.53 and $20.66 an hour, or roughly $28,000 to $43,000 a year, and these are typically the jobs that serve as the bread and butter for many lower- and middle-income Americans.

During the economic recovery that followed the recession, the labor market showed modest signs of improvement, but most of the new jobs were low-wage positions, which the NELP found expanded by 3.2% between the first quarter of 2010 and the first quarter of 2011. By comparison, midwage jobs grew by just 1.2% during that time period.

Even so, some of the good jobs have started to return. NELP singled out several midwage positions that added tens of thousands of jobs in the same period. Not all have bright employment prospects in the long term, but if you are looking for a good, paying job right now, these may just be your best bet.

Ninth-biggest growth: First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
The construction industry was hit hard by the recession as the housing crunch cut into the sector's business, and in the years since the recession ended has continued to struggle. But some professions within the industry have fared better than others, including first-line supervisors, who oversee the day-to-day operations of machine setters, assemblers, system operators and more.
Employment growth between 2010-11: 79,622
Median hourly wage: $19.45

Eighth-biggest growth: Sales representatives, services, all other
Sales associates and cashiers often rank on the lower end of the pay scale, but according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, these particular representatives typically work in better-paying industries such as telecommunications and computer systems design, accounting for their growth.
Employment growth between 2010-11: 80,379
Median hourly wage: $20.43

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