The 10 Companies That Added The Most Jobs In 2010

Last year seemed like another of unrelenting layoffs, but ten large companies added, in total, more than 200,000 jobs, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Most of this increase in employment was in the retail industry, oddly enough. This sector was among the most seriously affected after the disastrous holiday season sales in 2008 and 2009.

It appeared around Thanksgiving that retail sales in 2010 would improve. The National Retail Federation forecast a 3.3% rise in total retail sales in November and December compared to the same months in 2009. That number excluded e-commerce sales. Several research firms which cover online retail operations set expectations for a 15% improvement in the last two months of 2010. Final sales figures show that each of these projections was fairly accurate.

Some retailers  released disappointing December results, demonstrating that the recovery was uneven. That could cause some companies which added people in 2010 to cut them early this year. The only government agency which added many workers was the US Census Bureau. These jobs were temporary, unfortunately. Most are gone now that the 2010 Census is over.

Much of last year’s major hiring happened in November and December. This may be because of a sharp increase in business confidence. The bill extending tax benefits passed late in 2010 helped this trend. The problems of unemployment and lack of access to capital have not gone away. The recovery is choppy.  The question now is whether the positive momentum will continue through 2011.

It will be telling if the great majority of these people still have their jobs as the year progresses. Here are the 10 single largest job additions by company:

1. Macy’s (NYSE: M)

>Jobs Added: 65,000

The large retail operation added 65,000 jobs in its stores, distribution centers, call centers, and online fulfillment centers. Many of the additions were described as temporary. Total sales for Macy’s increased 4.5% in December to $4.62 billion, but were short of Wall Street’s expectations. That makes it less likely that the company will retain many of the people it hired.