Let’s face the truth. Around two to three years ago, you found yourself too scared to even leave the house. You’re afraid you wouldn’t have enough money to pay for it. Every day your heart beat faster in the office, thinking that any minute you’d walk out with no job. In fact, you could already be thinking how you’d survive in welfare or food stamps.

Recession definitely brought a lot of horrors and trauma, but it seemed like in the past now–it looks like America is on the road to recovery.

In the recent non-farm payrolls report released last Friday, March 4, 2011, employment has increased to 192,000 while the unemployment rate was reduced to 0.9 percent point since November of last year. The manufacturing sector, which was terribly hit by the economic meltdown, is hiring thousands of people again. More jobs have also been offered in the areas of transportation, services (both professional and business), as well as health care.

Many states too have already shown positive signs of recovery. In Michigan, for example, the unemployment rate was down to 10.7 percent in January from 11.1 percent last December 2010. And the good news doesn’t stop there. This figure is the lowest unemployment rate for the past three years. Thanks to Health Business Solutions, Dialogue Marketing, and Benteler Automotive Corporation, over 40,000 jobs have also been added. Though economists do not want to rest on their laurels, the Michigan labor force may be able to look forward to more work in construction, manufacturing, trade, and utilities, among others, in the coming months.

California is also picking up, and it’s not just because of Snooki. Bay Area, for example, has just added more than 2,500 jobs last January, as well as South and East Bay. The jobless rate also slightly decreased from 12.5 percent to 12.4 percent during the months of December and January, respectively.

The charming town of Wyoming, on the other hand, added close to 4,000 jobs during 2010, a boost of close to 1.5 percent. A lot of these jobs are offered by companies in the mining and natural resources sector, such as oil and gas. In the month of January, the unemployment rate went down to 6.3 percent, a far cry from the 8.9 percent national unemployment rate posted in February.

But here’s the bad news: now is not the best time to apply in the government sector. It seems to be cutting back on payroll such as on non-farm jobs in state universities and colleges. Public school jobs were also decreased.

Moreover, if there are winners, there are, well, losers. Topping the list is the bustling commercial and economic city of New York. As of March 9, the unemployment rate has just increased. Know, though, that the increase is caused by more people who are looking for work. More jobs are being offered in the areas of business and professional services, hospitality, trade, utilities, and leisure. However, just like in Wyoming, fewer people have been hired by the government.

The unemployment rate of Atlanta, Georgia, has also increased to 10.4 percent from 10.1 percent in a span of one month (between December 2010 and January 2011).

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