The labor market has been one of ups and downs for Chuck Aldrich of Clarion, Iowa.

The past three years had been tough for the 55-year-old, who now builds corn sprayers for Hagie Manufacturing Co. in Clarion. He was construction site flagman in 2010, a job he described as “sporadic.”

After several other gigs that included a position that ended when the employer downsized, Aldrich began collecting unemployment benefits last year and enrolled in a class that complemented his engineering degree. That led to his current job at Hagie.

Watching Spending

“It’s a lot easier with the money coming in,” said Aldrich, who is buying a new house because of his income gains. “I don’t have to watch my spending quite as tightly.”

Companies like Domino’s Pizza Inc. have indicated they still see strong enough demand to justify increasing their headcounts. The Ann Arbor, Michigan-based pizza chain reported sales at stores open at least 12 months increased in the first quarter by more than 6 percent from a year earlier.

“We’re absolutely hiring right now,” Chief Executive Officer Patrick Doyle said during a May 1 interview on Bloomberg Television. He said “a more comfortable consumer” is driving demand and allowing his business to expand. “Just in the U.S., with 5,000 stores, we could easily hire 10,000 people today.”

Temporary-help services added 30,800 workers to payrolls in April, the most since February 2012. Other industries adding jobs included leisure and hospitality, retail trade and education and health services.

Factory Employment

While employment at factories stagnated in April after the addition of 2,000 in March, according to today’s report, Ford Motor Co. is among manufacturers that plan to step up hiring.