Illinois' growing medical industry and its old-standby, manufacturing, may be the best places to look for a job this year.

But experts say some of the positions will require higher levels of education and training and many won't pay what they did a few years ago.

According to a survey from the staffing firm ManPower Group, 17% of Illinois employers plan to add staff during the first quarter. That's up 3% from a year earlier.

John Challenger is CEO of the Chicago-based outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. He says, "Job creation has been relatively strong in the last two years."

Even so, Illinois is, like the rest of the nation, still staggering back from the recession. And statewide unemployment hasn't dropped below 8% since 2008.