A look at who's hiring in WMass

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - The U.S. Labor Department says hiring was stronger over the past two years than previously thought.

However, not all sectors are hiring and finding a job depends on where you’re looking.

Raquel Garcia and her husband have both been searching for jobs for more than a year.

With no luck so far, the couple and their four children are relying on welfare.

Garcia explained, “We don't like it, we want to find a job and be independent but it's very hard." 

The Labor Department numbers show that U.S. employers added 157,000 jobs in January.

Hard to believe

For the unemployed who have been searching for months, that can be hard to believe.

Kevin Lynn of the FutureWorks Career Center told 22News, there are jobs in western Massachusetts if you know where to look.

Lynn said, “Seems locally to be primarily health care, office and administration and, to some extent, manufacturing." 

Lynn said the fastest growing job in health care is certified nursing assistants

If you're looking at manufacturing, precision manufacturing jobs are most in demand.

If looking for a job in any of these fields it doesn't necessarily mean you have to go back to school in order to get it.

Lynn explained, "It could just mean taking workshops to pick up computer skills if that's something that you need it could be a certificate program at a community college."

For current students like John Esposito, who's still trying to figure out what he wants to do after graduation, what's in demand is at least part of the decision making.

Esposito explained, "I'll find something that's middle ground, something that's in high demand but that I want to do so I’m not miserable. ”