With the March job report released Friday morning, NEWS9 spoke with a local workforce agency about the hiring trends locally.

Steubenville Branch Manager of Manpower, Laurel McDowell, said the economy is on the rise.

"Hiring optimism is definitely gaining momentum. That means recruiting is going to become very tight as companies compete for the same top talent," said McDowell.

Even with the naitonal unemployment rate at 8.2% McDowell sees a direct correlation between the national job growth and the growth locally.

"Locally in Ohio, the net jobs gain is expected to be 12% for the second quarter of 2012, while West Virginia is reporting a net gain of 9% in jobs," McDowell said.

With the oil and natural gas industry taking off, McDowell expects those numbers to grow.

"Anything related to the construction industry, manufacturing, transportation and utilities and certainly with the onset of the oil and gas industry- anything related to that."

Local people we spoke with said the numbers released Friday look promising.

"I think the economy can improve with this gas industry," said Rayland resident Clint Powell.

"I have a little cash business and I find that my sales are up over the last year," said St. Clairsville business owner Betty Love. "The first three months of this year, I've done over half of what I sold last year, and last year was up 20% over the year before. Hopefully things are getting better."

If you're an unemployed job seeker, McDowell recommends enrolling in a training course for jobs that are in demand, like welding.