Summer job seekers, you’re in luck. Hiring conditions are steadily improving, according to CareerBuilder’s annual Summer Job Forecast. The survey found that 29 percent of U.S. employers plan to hire workers this summer, up from 21 percent in 2011 and an average of 22 percent over the past four years.

Hot industries for hiring
Brent Rasmussen, president of CareerBuilder North America, says that confidence is up among the employers most closely associated with summer hiring. The manufacturing sector leads the way in expected summer hiring, with 45 percent of employers planning to add summer workers. The other industries that are expected to have high levels of seasonal hiring include:

• Hospitality — 44 percent
• Retail — 34 percent
• Finance — 31 percent

The customer service, office support, information technology, research, engineering and sales sectors are also predicting summer hiring spikes.

Summertime salary
What compensation should seasonal workers expect this summer? When asked what they plan to pay seasonal hires, employers gave the following responses:

• More than $16 per hour — 20 percent
• $10 or more per hour — 64 percent
• $8 to $10 per hour — 29 percent

Summer temps could last all year long
Many job seekers would be happy to take a temporary job during the summer, and if it leads to a full-time position, all the better. Seventy-one percent of employers hiring this summer said they’ll be considering some hires for permanent positions. In fact, 39 percent of employers said they’re less likely to hire someone who isn’t interested in working beyond summer.

“A majority of employers told us they consider a summer position an extended job interview,” Rasmussen says. “The forecast is also a strong indicator that the job market will continue to strengthen as we come closer to the second half of 2012.”  

Haven’t started looking for seasonal work yet? It’s not too late. Thirty-eight percent of companies typically complete summer hiring in May, and 19 percent will hire in June and beyond. So whether you’re a recent college grad, an unemployed job seeker or someone who has left the workforce but is considering a comeback, you can expect to enjoy a sunnier summer job season.

According to a recent survey from The National Association of Colleges and Employers, 44.2 percent of 2012 grads who applied for a job received at least one offer, up from 41.4 percent of 2011 grads who applied for and received an offer.

Not only have this year’s grads received more offers than last year’s, but more have accepted those offers as well. In fact, 25.5 percent of the 2012 grads who applied for a job have already secured one. Last year at this time, 24 percent of 2011 grads who had applied for a job reported having accepted one.

If you’re not one of the lucky grads to already be employed, or if you’re a job seeker of any age, here are 10 companies that are hiring this week:

1. Alorica
Industry: BPO/customer care
Sample job titles: Customer care representative, outbound sales

2. Coinstar/Redbox
Industry: Automated retail
Sample job titles: Marketing, information technology, engineering, field support

3. First Command Financial Services
Industry: Finance
Sample job titles: Financial advisor/military market financial advisor

4. FTI Consulting
Industry: Professional services
Sample job titles: Consultant specializing in strategic communications, corporate finance, forensic accounting, eDiscovery or economics; information technology; data center operations; eDiscovery sales

5. Guardian Healthcare
Industry: Home health care
Sample job titles: Registered nurse case manager, licensed vocational nurse, registered nurse clinical supervisor, certified occupational therapist, occupational therapist, physical therapy assistant, registered nurse, marketing account executive

6. IAP Worldwide Services
Industry: Government services (department of defense and federal)
Sample job titles: Infrastructure management, logistics management, engineering services, emergency and environmental services, power, construction, global support services, communication and information services, health, science and technology

7. LexisNexis
Industry: Information collection and delivery
Sample job titles: Senior software engineer, account executive, consulting software engineer

8. RuffaloCODY
Industry: Nonprofit marketing, management and software
Sample job titles: Program center manager, software engineer, project manager, creative writer, graphic designer

9. Saudi Aramco
Industry: Oil and gas
Sample job title: Engineer

10. Sunbelt Rentals
Industry: Construction
Sample job titles: Outside sales representative, customer service representative, heavy equipment service technician, class A CDL driver, mechanic

These workers are often employed at banks, insurance companies or securities firms. According to CareerBuilder’s Supply & Demand Portal, the average national salary is $65,500, and the top cities hiring for these positions are New York, Chicago and Boston.

Watch the video below for more details:

And if you’d rather see it as a snazzy infographic, we have that, too:

Check out all the financial analyst positions we have on CareerBuilder today!

According to the most recent salary survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the average starting salary for a Class of 2012 graduate is $44,442. To break it down further, here’s a list of the highest-paying bachelor’s degrees within common academic disciplines. Also included is the percent change in starting salaries from the Class of 2011 to the Class of 2012, along with examples of occupations that graduates within each major might pursue.

Business*
Highest-paying academic major: Economics (business/managerial)
Median starting salary: $54,800
Percent increase from 2011: 5.6
Example occupations: Financial manager, accountant/auditor, management analyst

Communications
Highest-paying academic major: Advertising
Median starting salary: $44,700
Percent increase from 2011: 2.5
Example occupations: Author, public-relations specialist, advertising or promotions manager

Computer sciences
Highest-paying academic major: Computer science
Median starting salary: $58,300
Percent increase from 2011: 4.3
Example occupations: Postsecondary teacher, computer programmer, computer support specialist

Education
Highest-paying academic major: Special education
Median starting salary: $42,200
Percent increase from 2011: 2.2
Example occupations: Special education teacher, elementary or middle-school teacher

Engineering
Highest-paying academic major: Computer engineering
Median starting salary: $67,800
Percent increase from 2011: 0.6
Example occupation: Computer software engineer

Health sciences
Highest-paying academic major: Nursing
Median starting salary: $48,400
Percent increase from 2011: 0.6
Example occupation: Registered nurse

Humanities and social sciences
Highest-paying academic major: Political science/government
Median starting salary: $38,400
Percent increase from 2011: 1.3
Example occupations: Social worker, paralegal or legal assistant, labor-relations specialist

Sciences
Highest-paying academic major: Construction science/management
Median starting salary: $54,700
Percent increase from 2011: 1.9
Example occupations: Construction manager, civil engineer

*All data/information from the NACE April 2012 Salary Survey. Only certain starting salaries were available at the time the survey was conducted, so not all majors were factored into the starting salary comparisons.

Balancing work and life
Workers often struggle with knowing how much time to spend at the office and when to clock out and head home. The survey found that 25 percent of working moms believe they have to choose between their children and having successful careers. In fact, 24 percent of working moms cite work obligations as the reason for having missed three or more significant events in their children’s lives in the past year.

In a competitive economy, many workers are still doing more with less at the office. Once the recession began and companies had to let workers go, the employees who remained were forced to pick up the tasks of their former colleagues. That mentality of giving 110 percent may not have left the workplace yet, even as the hiring outlook continues to improve. When working mothers were asked how much quality time they’re able to spend with their children during the workweek:

• 51 percent said four hours or more per day.
• 22 percent said two hours per day.
• 6 percent said one hour or less per day.

The challenge of new moms
Even new mothers adjusting to life with a baby just home from the hospital can’t keep work off their minds for too long. Twenty-six percent of working moms who have had a child in the past three years say they did not use the full maternity leave allotted by their company’s policy. In fact, 44 percent of working moms who have had children in the past three years took more than eight weeks of maternity leave. Conversely, 40 percent took off six weeks or less, and 12 percent took off two weeks or less.

The paychecks of working parents
Finances are likely a top priority for the average worker in today’s economy. Factor in supporting a child, and money is certainly a major concern. Whether you’re the sole wage-earner likely plays a role in your financial motivations as well. Thirty-nine percent of working moms and 43 percent of working dads surveyed are the only financial provider in their respective households.

While an almost equal amount of mothers and fathers are their households’ only source of income, paychecks are nowhere near as equal. The survey found that:

• 40 percent of working moms earn less than $35,000, compared with 21 percent of working dads.
• 59 percent of working dads earn $50,000 or more, compared with 33 percent of working moms.
• 17 percent of working dads earn $100,000 or more, compared with 6 percent of working moms.

The pay disparity might not come as a surprise, considering that a 2011 workplace diversity survey found women are the least likely group to earn $100,000 or more, and a separate 2012 survey revealed just how few female executives there are in today’s workforce.

Overall, the survey shows that working mothers and fathers are trying to do what’s best for both their families and their careers, and finding that balance isn’t always simple.

Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that, while the number of job openings on the last business day of March — 3.7 million — was little changed from February, the number was up significantly from a year earlier. The manufacturing sector saw a notable increase in March job openings, and the number of total nonfarm openings has increased by 1.3 million since June 2009.

Here are 10 companies that have job openings this week:

1. 24 Hour Fitness
Industry: Fitness
Sample job titles: Personal trainer, membership counselor (sales), department manager, IT professional

2. Century 21 Real Estate LLC
Industry: Real estate
Sample job titles: Real estate agent, real estate sales associate

3. Echo Global Logistics
Industry: Logistics/technology
Sample job titles: Sales trainee, carrier sales representative, .Net developer, corporate sales executive, senior C# developer, account manager, DBA/report developer

4. Gentiva Home Health and Hospice
Industry: Home health care
Sample job titles: Home health and hospice registered nurse, home health and hospice LPN, nurse manager, nurse practitioner, occupational therapist, occupational therapist assistant, physical therapist, physical therapist assistant, sales executive 

5. Incredible Technologies
Industry: Computer software/entertainment
Sample job titles: Electrical engineer, game producer, software developer

6. Nielsen 
Industry: Business services 
Sample job titles: Analyst, associate client manager, client manager, engineer, project manager 

7. Protocall Communications Inc.
Industry: Marketing consultants/sales
Sample Job Titles: Account executive, sales representative (B2C and B2B)

8. UBS
Industry: Financial services (wealth management and investment banking)
Sample job titles: Credit stress testing analyst, product surveillance compliance analyst, compliance officer — UBS Trust Company, regional reconciliation controller, institutional account manager, institutional marketing manager, investment accountant

9. Waters Corporation
Industry: Biotechnology 
Sample job titles: Field service engineer, senior mechanical engineer, senior application scientist, principal scientist, informatics support engineer

10. Webster Veterinary, a Patterson Company
Industry: Veterinary pharmaceutical sales
Sample job titles: Pharmaceutical veterinary sales representative, equipment manager, service technician