Yes, there are spots where it’s tough to fill some jobs.
The three hottest job markets:
- Washington, DC: Public sector jobs are on the rise, as are the wholesale and retail industries in the nation’s capitol. Nearly a quarter of companies the DC area plan to hire more employees before the end of the year and the unemployment rate is a respectable 6.2% (as compared with a 9.8% national average).
- San Antonio, TX: Teachers are in high demand, as are health professionals and IT specialists. Twenty percent of companies plan to add more employees this year and a nearby military base could create as many as 10,000 new jobs within the next year (most of them related to the healthcare field).
- Greenville, SC: Greenville has its downside – the unemployment rate is still well over 9%, the average income is relatively low and only 18% of companies are currently looking to hire. But there are manufacturing and public sector jobs for those who are looking. That combined with a low cost of living makes Greenville a worthwhile job market.
The three worst job markets:
- Las Vegas, NV: In a bad economy, luxury spending is one of the first things to suffer. That being the case, Las Vegas is in a bad way these days.
- Reno, NV: As Las Vegas goes, so goes Reno.
- Detroit, MI: The auto industry is clawing its way back. But the major blows it’s been dealt during the past two years have had a severe impact on Detroit’s overall economic state. A lot of jobs disappeared, and a lot of jobs aren’t coming back.
Source: “America’s Strongest Job Markets,” by Vanessa Wong, BusinessWeek.