A report in the LA Times indicates the mining industry is one of the few areas of the national job market that is growing: "The mining sector, which includes oil and gas drilling, added 10,300 jobs in July, to 720,000, and has gained 222,000 positions since reaching a low in April 2003. Most of the mining-sector job additions owe to hiring by the energy industry, the government says." That works out to a 17% annual increase.
Most growth was in the healthcare sector which saw a net gain of 32,900 jobs to 13.3 million, with an increase in the last 12 months of 368,000, or about 3%. [right, Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold]