5 jobs where pay is making a comeback

• Pay growth in 2012: 4.2%
• Median pay: $55,200

Carpenters, roofers, laborers and other construction workers saw their unemployment rate soar to 27% at the height of the housing bust.

As the housing market stages a comeback, home construction has nearly doubled from its 2009 low and builders are hiring again.

"This wage growth tied together with the increase in housing starts are signs the construction industry is healing from the devastation it experienced," said Bardaro.

The 1.3% increase in pay the industry saw in the fourth quarter was the biggest quarterly rise in four years. However, net wages for construction workers are about 1.7% below late 2008 levels.

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