Some big firms are hiring big numbers

CHICAGO, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- At least 12 U.S. corporations have announced intentions to add more than 500 people to their payrolls, a private employment agency said.

CareerBuilder Chief Executive Officer Matt Ferguson said, "The number of companies hiring in large volumes is encouraging."

"While unemployment remains high, the increasing number of companies with many openings means job seekers have a wider variety of industries and job types from which to choose," he said.

The current list, which includes in the aggregate 38,000 new jobs, is dominated by Starbucks, which plans to hire 13,000 retail workers and 400 managers, CareerBuilder said.

Internet retail giant Amazon intends to hire more than 3,000 with jobs available in software development, product management and operations management, CareerBuilder said.

Airplane maker Boeing intends to hire more than 500 in engineering, cybersecurity and manufacturing. Citibank and Adventist Health System are each looking to hire 2,500 new workers while Time Warner Cable is looking for 500.

Insurance firm State Farm is expected to hire 2,600.

Accounting firm Deloitte is hiring 3,300, URS is seeking 4,300 and ADP is seeking 2,000, CareerBuilder said.

"This is not only good news for those who are unemployed or underemployed, but for the overall economy as well," Ferguson said.

The optimism was countered in the same news cycle, however, as outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas said Thursday employers announced 53,486 layoffs in January, a 28 percent increase from December and a 39 percent increase compared with January 2011.