According to S&P Capital IQ's recent analysis of 437 large companies on the Standard & Poor's 500, some of the nation's biggest corporations are ramping up hiring, USA Today reports.
Many people have either settled for jobs as a part-timer or a temporary worker, as companies have been hesitant to hire full-time due to the economy. However, big businesses added 4.2 percent more net jobs globally (or nearly 735,000 positions) in 2011.
"It's refreshing to see these job gains at these large companies," Jack Ablin, of Harris Private Bank, told the news source.
A few reasons for the gains include expansion of production at existing facilities, or the addition of new facilities. Caterpillar, the world's leading manufacturing, construction and mining company, added more than 20,000 jobs last year – half of which were in the United States.
What's more, mergers and acquisitions have played a big part. Companies such as AGL Resources and CenturyLink increased headcounts by 144 percent and 141 percent, respectively, due to acquisitions.
Also, Taco Bell owner Yum Brands added 88,000 positions by hiring in emerging nations. This confirms a recent ManpowerGroup study of hiring in 41 different countries, which revealed employers in 32 of them expect degrees of positive hiring activity during Q2 2012.