If you have been searching for a job in your state that will allow you to “utilize your skills and education,” but you have had zero success, you might want to consider relocating. Although employers overall are hopeful about hiring in the first quarter of 2011—a promising 9 percent expect to be hiring, some cities are in a much better position to do so than others. At the top of the list of best cities for jobs is none other than Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
A recent Manpower Employment Services survey of 18,000 employers in 100 metropolitan areas revealed that Baton Rouge has an 18 percent net employment outlook. This figure is based on the number of employers that expect to add employees, which is actually 22 percent, minus the percentage who expect to reduce the number of employees (4 percent). Even better news is, the city that rarely dips below 50 degrees is enjoying growth in construction, digital media, and wood products. The city also plans to build three new hospitals in 2011, so there will be plenty of health care jobs to go around.
Baton Rouge is not the only city that will enjoy exceptional job growth in the first quarter of 2011. The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington metropolitan area has a net employment outlook of 15 percent, followed by Milwakuee-Waukesha-West Allis, Wisconsin at 14 percent. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Arizona; Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, Ohio are tied for fourth place with a net employment outlook of 12 percent. The Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, Tennessee metropolitan area; San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, California, and the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C./Va/Md./W.V. area are tied for fifth place with a net employment outlook of 11 percent.
So what are the worst cities for employment this winter? According to a recent Forbes report:
The net employment outlook in metro areas like Boise, Houston, Los Angeles, and Providence, R.I., is flat at 0%–and they aren’t even the worst. Akron, Ohio; Colorado Springs, Colo.; and Columbia, S.C., are tied for the No. 1 spot on the list of the worst cities for finding a job.
Only 8% of surveyed Akron employers plan to hire more employees between January and March, while 11% expect to reduce their payrolls. Seventy-nine percent expect to maintain their current workforce and 2% are unsure about their plans. This yields a net employment outlook of -3% for a city that relies largely on traditional industries, like Goodyear Tire and Rubber ( GT – news – people ) and Roadway Express. The same goes for Colorado Springs and Columbia.
The good news is, overall, the U.S. has seen five straight quarters of survey results that indicate an uptick in hiring activity, according to Melanie Holmes, Manpower’s vice president. Holmes also states that “the trend is in the right direction, but we would all like to see employer confidence improve and the pace of hiring pick up.”
