LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Companies say they’re hiring again, but where are all the jobs?

A new government report says the unemployment rate fell to a two-year low of 8.8 percent in March, capping the strongest two months of hiring since the recession began — but most Angelenos are still having trouble finding work.

Career counselor Susan Wise Miller tells KNX 1070 that jobs are out there if you look hard enough.

While jobs are still scarce in the public sector — because governments are basically going broke — the private sector is ramping up hiring, according to Miller.

Private employers went on the fastest hiring binge since the recession began, adding 216,000 jobs in March.

But even with encouraging signs from the economy, KNX 1070′s Jon Baird reports the reaction on the streets is noticeably reserved.

Miller warns that getting hired may take a lot longer than the traditional 3-to-6 months.

“It could take you nine months” to land a job in the current market, said Miller.

Miller also advises applicants to build up their skills, and perhaps even do volunteer work in their field of interest.

The jobless rate has fallen a full percentage point over the past four months, the sharpest drop since 1983.

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