No. 13 Strongest Job Market: Harrisburg-Carlisle, Pa.

Who's hiring: Wholesale/retail trade, Professional & business services, Leisure & hospitality

Percent companies planning to hire in Q3: 27 percent
Population: 536,919 (+0.6 percent YOY)
Unemployment rate: 8.3 percent
Mean annual income: $42,140

The Harrisburg metropolitan area is under a great deal of financial stress as a $68 million bill for an incinerator project due this year may bankrupt the city. Yet Manpower's survey shows 27 percent of businesses planning to increase employment and 9 percent planning to decrease hiring. How is it that the employment outlook here is strong? Employment in government as well as education and health services, major employers in the area, has been stable, and while the construction industry has weakened, it performed better here than in many other markets, according to CNN.