Where the hiring is hot

Every day seems to bring more bad news about newspaper colleagues around the country losing their jobs.
The auto industry is shedding workers faster than gas-guzzling SUVs.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics says layoffs "were the highest for the month of June since 2003."

Although the economy is in a funk, there is one employer who expects to hire big time in the coming years -- Uncle Sam.

"Most experts agree that the government will need to replace at least a half million federal employees in the near future," says a recent report by the Merit Systems Protection Board.