Local job seekers can be encouraged by reports released last week.

Sacramento-area payrolls grew by 5,300 jobs in May, much of it in the building trades and in the leisure and hospitality segment, the state's Employment Development Department reported Friday, putting a dent in the region's unemployment rate.

May unemployment in the Sacramento region was 11.7 percent, down from 12 percent in April.

On Thursday, the quarterly report from employment firm Robert Half International suggested that executives in California, the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii are becoming more optimistic about their hiring plans.

Businesses in those areas surveyed by Robert Half projected the most hiring activity, with a net 6 percent planning to add staff in the third quarter – including a net 7 percent in California – twice the amount of other regions surveyed.

The report adds that the pace of hiring in the Pacific states is picking up, though cautious employers continue to rely on "temporary-to-full-time arrangements to help avoid costly personnel mistakes."

Tech hiring continues to lead the way, with network and Microsoft Windows administrators in high demand, according to the survey.

Help desk and desktop support professionals are also in high demand, according to businesses surveyed.

"Workloads aren't getting any lighter for technology departments. … As new projects move forward, companies are relying on IT professionals more than ever," the survey read.

But nearly half of businesses surveyed said that finding IT talent, especially in security and networking, remains difficult.

About 48 percent of technology executives said finding skilled IT professionals was a challenge – an increase of five percentage points from the second quarter.

The quarterly survey is based on more than 4,000 telephone calls to employers in a cross-section of industries.

Computer classes offered

Job seekers can sharpen their skills and bolster their résumés in a free July computer workshop at Sacramento's Central Library.

Introduction to Microsoft Excel classes are 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays July 5, 12, 19 and 26 at the library, 828 I St., Sacramento.

Registration is required to attend the workshop, and attendees must commit to the entire slate of classes.

For information on the workshop and other computer classes, call the library at (916) 264-2920 or visit www.saclibrary.org.

Author to address group

Author Mark Anthony Germanos will discuss how to assess strengths and opportunities in his talk "How to Make Smart Decisions" at Tuesday's weekly meeting of networking group Sacramento Professional Network.

Sacramento Professional Network meets at 9:30 a.m. Tuesdays at Center for Employment Training, 6853 65th St., Sacramento.

For information on the networking group, visit www.sacpronet.com.

Job-hunting questions?

Ask Terri Carpenter, one of our "Ask the Experts" writers, who answers your career questions online.

A jobs expert at the Sacramento Employment & Training Agency, Carpenter has expertise in résumé writing, job-skills training and career counseling.

To post your questions or view her advice to other job seekers, go to www.sacbee.com/ask.

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Call The Bee's Darrell Smith, (916) 321-1040.

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