Admin and support. It might be just one hire here and another there, but companies are finally starting to rebuild their office staffs. As corporate bosses gain more confidence in the recovery, they'll shift from temporary hires to more full-time staffers.

Jobs gained in 2010: 286,000

Change since 2007: 817,000 jobs lost

Employment services. The people who help others get jobs are finding more work themselves, a good sign that overall hiring is picking up for real. Demand for temporary workers usually comes first, followed by more interest in permanent full-timers.

Jobs gained in 2010: 262,000

Change since 2007: 591,000 jobs lost

Healthcare. There was barely a recession in healthcare--employment has been rising consistently in almost every specialty. This is one of the few fields in which there are more jobs today than before the recession began. A lot more, in fact.

Jobs gained in 2010: 204,000

Change since 2007: 738,000 jobs gained

Restaurants. Boy did we miss those restaurant fries. After a sharp cutback in 2009, Americans have started eating out again. Some luxury joints are still struggling, but family restaurants that offer good value are starting to get busy.

Jobs gained in 2010: 143,000

Change since 2007: 150,000 jobs lost

Retail. Consumers are still feeling thrifty, mainly because debt levels remain too high. But people are starting to spend again, and many retail outlets are hiring. The strongest gains are at electronics and appliance stores. Department stores, discounters, and clothing retailers are hiring, too.

Jobs gained in 2010: 128,000

Change since 2007: 1.1 million jobs lost

Mining. The growing demand by China and India for copper, aluminum, iron, and a variety of other minerals is helping boost the mining industry worldwide. So is a spike in the price of gold and silver. And domestic demand for coal is bouncing back as the economy recovers.

Jobs gained in 2010: 79,000

Change since 2007: 28,000 jobs gained

Religious and nonprofit groups. Donations dipped during the recession, but religious, nonprofit, social, and business organizations have fared okay lately as endowments linked to the stock market have recovered and other sources of funding have stabilized. Clergy--a somewhat recessionproof calling--represent the single largest profession within this group.

Jobs gained in 2010: 56,000

Change since 2007: 9,000 jobs gained

Salespeople and customer-service reps. What companies need most right now is new business, and that takes good salespeople. Plus, during the recession, some companies cut too deeply into the ranks of those who take care of customers. They're beginning to rectify that now.

Jobs gained in 2010: 36,000

Change since 2007: 437,000 jobs lost

Computer systems design. A lot of lower-end IT work has been outsourced to India, but companies still need talented systems designers and other well-trained technicians to develop customized software, keep up with new technology, and connect far-flung systems. This is likely to be one of the fastest-growing job markets over the next several years.

Jobs gained in 2010: 43,000

Change since 2007: 52,000 jobs gained

Transit and ground transportation. Bus drivers have enviable job security. As Americans have cut back on driving to save money, more people have turned to public transportation. The number of bus, subway, and other transit jobs is up overall since the recession began.

Jobs gained in 2010: 20,000

Change since 2007: 17,000 jobs gained

Hotels. Business travel is picking up after a sharp drop, and some consumers are taking vacations again, too. Budget and value properties are hiring the most.

Jobs gained in 2010: 27,000

Change since 2007: 124,000 jobs lost

Federal government. State and local governments have been cutting deeply, but federal jobs are safe--for now. Newly empowered Republicans who want to cut government could change that, however.

Jobs gained in 2010: 19,000

Change since 2007: 88,000 jobs gained

Management. Big companies cut thousands of management jobs when the recession hit--and some of them went too far. So they're slowly starting to rehire. With some foreign economies growing faster than ours, multinational companies are looking for managers willing to travel and perhaps even relocate overseas.

Jobs gained in 2010: 16,000

Change since 2007: 63,000 jobs lost

Performing arts and recreation. As Americans have cut back on lavish travel and long vacations, they've spent more time and money exploring local parks and attractions and even going to sporting events. Plus, people who have been scrimping and saving just need a night out every now and then.

Jobs gained in 2010: 24,000

Change since 2007: 96,000 jobs lost

Warehousing. It's good news for the overall economy when activity at warehouses, refrigeration facilities, and other storage areas picks up, which it has. The goods that pass through those places end up at business and retail outlets, boosting jobs elsewhere.

Jobs gained in 2010: 12,000

Change since 2007: 30,000 jobs lost

Oil and gas extraction. The energy sector dipped during the recession, as consumers and businesses cut back on use. But global demand for energy remains strong, and natural gas in particular looks like a booming industry. Jobs in this field tend to be high-paying, with a need for specialists like petroleum engineers, geologists, and hydrologists.

Jobs gained in 2010: 11,000

Change since 2007: 17,000 jobs gained

Rail transportation. Like warehousing, the railroad industry is a good gauge of which direction the overall economy is headed, since much of what we buy gets shipped by rail at some point. The train seems to be picking up steam.

Jobs gained in 2010: 9,000

Change since 2007: 9,000 jobs lost

Waste management. The trash needs to go out no matter what's happening in the economy. And as the economy recovers, we seem to be producing more of it.

Jobs gained in 2010: 8,000

Change since 2007: 3,000 jobs lost

Web portals and Internet publishing. It's killing other industries, but the Internet itself is still a booming industry that's creating jobs. The overall number of jobs at search engines like Google, portals like Yahoo, and a variety of new and growing online outfits has risen consistently over the last three years.

Jobs gained in 2010: 6,000

Change since 2007: 11,000 jobs gained

Management and technical consulting. A lot of laid-off managers and other professionals have become self-employed consultants--a trend that's likely to continue. Many companies want to hire seasoned people on a temporary or project basis, instead of bringing them on full-time. Consultants able to manage several clients at once can earn more than they did with a single employer.

Jobs gained in 2010: 2,000

Change since 2007: 1,000 jobs gained

1. Stop the energy leaks from your home. Just over a fifth of U.S. energy consumption happens at people's homes, says the Department of Energy. That costs the average homeowner $2,400 a year. Half of that goes to heating and cooling, much of which is pure waste. Insulate ceilings and walls. Seal cracks and gaps. "Often people have so many small leaks around the home that it's the equivalent of having a three-foot by three-foot window wide open," says Kateri Callahan, president of the Washington-based nonprofit Alliance to Save Energy.

2. Change your light bulbs. The typical household has 46, says the Department of Energy. But only five of them are energy-efficient compact fluorescents. These can cut light bills by 75%. Don't like CFs? Matt Patsky, veteran green investor and the CEO of Trillium Asset Management, says new LEDs are much better still. They cut energy use by 95% and emit a much softer light. They're more expensive, but prices are coming down pretty quickly.

3. Stop heating an empty house. Or a house when everyone is asleep. Get programmable thermostats. They can cost as little as $50. "They typically pay for themselves in three months," says ASE's Ms. Callahan. They can cut your heating and cooling bills by 10%, she says, without any effect on your comfort at all. Turning down the thermostat in winter (and up in summer) a little helps too: Experts say each degree can trim 2%-3% from your heating bill.

4. Rethink your appliances. Replace any old ones with new, energy-efficient models. The older your current fridge or washing machine, the faster the payback. The more efficient models today have an EnergyStar seal from the Department of Energy. They typically use about 30% less power than a model without the seal, experts say (more details at wwww.energystar.gov). As for your TV: The bigger the screen, the more power it's using. How big do you need? Do you really want to see, say, a life-size Snooki when you're watching "Jersey Shore"?

5. Stop leaving your computers and home entertainment systems on standby overnight. The screen's black but they're still sucking power, needlessly. Power strips make it easier to switch everything off at once, and new smart strips make it easier, for example, to power down the TV while leaving the TiVo connected.

6. Make the most of your green taxpayer incentives. For example, Uncle Sam is offering to pay up to $1,500 of your costs on things like insulation or better-insulated windows, although the program expires at the end of this year. Your state government may provide additional incentives. The best overall guide to these deals is available at DSIRE, the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency.

7. Tackle your hot water heater. It's one of your biggest energy users. Put insulation around the heater and the pipes. And dial down the thermostat. They are often set at 140 degrees. That's way too high: The Energy Department suggests turning it down to 115 to 120 degrees instead.

8. Drive a more-efficient car. How wasteful are we on the roads? I once watched a young woman drive through the cobbled streets of Boston's historic North End in a monstrous, gas-guzzling Hummer. She looked sillier than Michael Dukakis in that tank. What are we thinking? Super-efficient hybrids can be pricey, but Jessica Caldwell, director of pricing and analysis at car experts Edmunds, says there are a lot of deals around at the moment that can bring the price down. And you don't have to go hybrid: Ms. Caldwell notes the small Nissan Versa gets 29 miles to the gallon and only costs $16,000.

9. Get a home energy audit. The price of these has come down. For a few hundred dollars, experts using high-tech gadgetry, infrared scanners and computer models will analyze your home, work out in detail all the ways it's wasting energy and tell you what you can do to stop it. As the average home uses about $2,400 worth of energy per year, the payback is often impressive. Matt Golden, chief executive of San Francisco-based specialists Recurve, says he often finds he can cut bills by 20% to 40% just by eliminating waste. An audit can also help you rethink your heating and water systems, and identify possible sources of renewable energy, from solar paneling to a geothermal heat pump, that can help the environment and may save you money over time. Check for firms accredited by the trade body, the Building Performance Institute.

10. Buy an e-book reader. If you read a lot, they are very green. Traditional books, newspapers and magazines aren't: They do a lot of environmental damage, from cutting down trees to manufacturing and distribution. Emma Ritch, senior research analyst at the CleanTech Group, an environmental consulting firm, has done the numbers. Bottom line: A device like the Kindle has about the same impact on the environment as 23 books, or 280 newspapers, or 177 magazines, or some mixture thereof. So if you're going to use it to read more than that, you're helping the environment. By my reckoning, someone who buys a newspaper a day, a magazine a week and three books a month will break even by the fifth month.

Nurses

The number of registered nurses is expected to swell to 3.2 million by 2018, accounting for approximately 581,500 new jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's up from 2.6 million today, and it represents the largest overall growth projection out of all occupations in the U.S. economy, for good reason.

Network Systems and Data Analysts

This occupation's full title is "network systems and data communication analysts." And while it's a mouthful, it is worth remembering as it's the second-fastest growing occupation in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In simpler terms, these analysts are the folks who design and build the systems that we use to connect to the web, from work or home.

Software Engineers

What would all that planning and design by network and data analysts be worth without software? Not a whole lot, which explains why the BLS expects the cadre of software engineers and application developers to swell to 689,900 by 2018 (up from 514,800 in 2008). Whether they are building business software, constructing an operating system, developing games, or designing mobile apps, software engineers have a wide array of career avenues to consider.

Biomedical Engineers

Biomedical engineering is expected to be the fastest growing occupation, with a whopping growth project of 72% between 2008 and 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It's not much of a surprise, given that this field lies at the nexus of technology and health care, two ballooning industries within the U.S. economy.

Accountants and Auditors

While number crunching and bean counting has certainly not fallen out of style in recent memory, the economic fallout of the past few years has placed renewed focus on financial regulation. And with the passage of the federal financial reform bill in June, companies will need an even larger cohort of auditors and accountants to parse through new regulations to make sure they are in compliance.

Veterinarians

Our love for the dogs, cats, and fish in our lives truly knows no bounds. Pet care was one of the only sectors of the retail industry that grew during the recession.

According to the 2009-2010 National Pet Owners Survey, 62% of U.S. households owned at least one pet in 2008, accounting for approximately 71 million households. And the American Pet Products Association estimates that pet owners will spend almost $48 billion on their pets. Just under $24 billion of that will be spent on medicine and veterinary care, as more Americans than ever before open their wallets to spring for treatments for an ailing animal family member.