There could be more jobs on the way, depending on what type of career you are looking for.

Curtis James never expected to be laid off in the oil field industry. But Wednesday, he found himself searching for a new job at the Workforce Connection office in Las Cruces.

He was laid off a few weeks ago.

“It just happened right before December. It has changed my life a lot. I have to save a lot more money than I was expecting to,” said James.

His income has dropped dramatically this past month.

“From a $2,000 paycheck every two weeks -- you go down to pretty much nothing,” he said.

But even with a limited income, James has a positive outlook.

“Not to give up, keep my head up, and everything is going to be all right pretty soon,” James said.

New Mexico's workforce connection is helping several people find their next career in this growing area.

“There are a lot of call centers. There are a lot of retail establishments. There are a lot of new hotels, restaurants and stores coming in,” said Richard Wager, senior area director at Workforce Connection.

And while some local manufacturing and copper wire companies have laid off workers, other businesses will be looking for those employees.

“There is manufacturing coming into the West Mesa Industrial Park. There is one coming into the Santa Teresa industrial park," said Wagner.

High school and college students have great opportunities at this point.

“I'm looking for a restaurant job. That is pretty much what you can expect a teenager to get,” said Jeremy Dorman of West Las Cruces.

The national unemployment rate is about 6.0, but in Las Cruces it is much lower at 4.9 percent.

And those numbers could change dramatically once agriculture jobs return.