Bucking national and state trends, Silicon Valley continues to show job growth. According to California's Employment Development Department, the region posted a net gain of 3,300 jobs in June compared with May. That's the Valley's sixth straight month of jobs growth. One of the keys to the area's continuing recovery is the manufacturing sector, which added 1,200 jobs in June. A big chunk of that was in computer and electronics manufacturing, which added 600 positions. Another area where companies are adding staff is in professional and business services, including many technology positions, which added 500 jobs. By contrast, the U.S. shed 125,000 jobs in June, and California's numbers of employed dropped by 27,600.

Informatica on Hiring Binge

Redwood City should be tops on any IT professional's list of places to look for work. The home of numerous high-tech firms, it's also where fast-growing Informatica is based. A leading provider of data integration software used by companies across the globe, Informatica is expanding staff while turning in some stellar financial numbers. In July the company reported record quarterly revenues of $155.7 million. It had revenues of $501 million last year. Jo Stoner, senior vice president of human resources, says the company couldn't be more active in hiring. "This year our hiring has been more aggressive than normal for us, because we're playing catch-up," she says. "We're continuing to invest very heavily in head count." In the last couple of weeks the company has added close to 200 people, all in development and technology roles, both worldwide and in the Bay Area, Stoner says. The company currently employs about 2,000 people in 27 countries, including about 500 in Silicon Valley. -- Doug Bartholomew