Ease in finding new employees depends on industry

With universities pumping out communications and advertising majors, Hitchcock, Fleming & Associates scans a deep pool of prospects when it needs to add a spark to the creative team. The full-service marketing communications firm in Akron reports no problems finding the employees it needs.

The business is law

If the business is law, advertising, financial services or health care administration, there's a good chance the company is turning away talent. If the trade is in manufacturing, engineering or high innovation, there's a better chance human resources is scrambling to fill openings.

Industries that came out of the recession early or relatively unscathed, like manufacturing and high research, are struggling to find help. That's in some cases because many have raised their skill requirements, Raines said, and as well because both employers and employees have grown more cautious about job decisions.

MCPc: Research solutions company MCPc has seen its workforce grow by 35 percent in the last two years, to 415 people, more than 200 of them at work at its new downtown Cleveland headquarters in The Plain Dealer building. Nevertheless it all in all needs more virtual and network engineers to design cloud computing systems for business customers.