The national labor market is still tough, but Massachusetts--a known technology hub in the Northeast--is recovering in 2010 by outpacing national job growth numbers. In the second and third quarters of 2010, the Bay State has seen employment rise by 60,000 jobs, according to job news tracked by The Boston Globe. The hiring numbers since the beginning of the year have also been positive.

Since January, the state has added jobs every month. Private employment has grown at a 4 percent annual rate, about three times the national pace, while the state unemployment rate has declined to 9 percent -- a half-point below the US average.

"There are people getting jobs, and job growth has been strong,'' said Alan Clayton-Matthews, an economics professor at Northeastern University.

Massachusetts has been helped by an economy that depends more on technology, health care, and education, and less on construction, housing, and consumer goods, which were hardest hit in the recent recession. Although battered, the state's key industries emerged from the downturn largely intact.

There are still issues to contend with, including the number of highly skilled workers competing for jobs, and some companies moving and transferring jobs overseas.

Boston staffing firm Winter Wyman has seen an increase in technology contracting jobs, as well as hiring for recruiters--a sign that the need for hiring expertise is making a comeback, wrote the Globe. Biotechnology and engineering skills are seeing an uptick, as well as the need for support staff.