Are you looking for a new job and are willing to go just about anywhere? Well we've compiled a list of the five best and worst cities for employment this spring. All cities include the surrounding metropolitan areas.
Five Best Metropolitan Areas
Here is the list of areas with the highest net employment. Wise job-searchers would do well to make these cities the focus of their quest for a employment.
San Jose, CA
Net employment growth : 23%
Tech companies are still thriving in Silicon Valley, and that doesn't seem to be changing any time soon. Not to mention the coast near Santa Cruz is one of the most beautiful places in America.
"We have seen consistent improvement in the overall economy in Silicon Valley for over 18 months now and don't see any signs of this changing in the near term," notes Steve Van Dorn, president and CEO of the Santa Clara Chamber of Commerce and Convention-Visitors Bureau. "High tech jobs are still in high demand-but hospitality and other service jobs are being hired as the Silicon Valley economy continues to improve."
Portland, ME
Net employment growth: 23%
Maine is another great place to go for all you budding computer scientists that doesn't get a lot of attention. Bio-science and insurance are also strong in the region.
"Just last week we heard the CEO of WEX talk about closing the skills gap in his economic sector by actively doubling the number of computer scientists coming out of the University of Maine system," says Chris Hall, chief executive of the Portland Regional Chamber.
Salt Lake City, UT
Net employment growth: 22%
Another area that's flown under the radar is Salt Lake City. Despite it's lack of recognition by the public, the capitol of Utah has been racking up awards.
"Utah's economic success used to be one of the best kept secrets in the nation, but that has shifted significantly in the past few years," notes Lane Beattie, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber. "We've been ranked as the best state for business and careers by Forbes three years in a row, and we consistently rank as one of the fastest growing and best managed states."
Tucson, AZ
Net employment growth: 22%
Technology and healthcare seem to be big money makers in Tucson, and the University of Tucson is leading the way with its research facilities.
Michael Varney of the Tucson Metro Chamber adds "We have a number of excellent healthcare facilities in our region. Renewed in-migration seems to have picked up. With that influx of new residents will be a component of retired individuals who typically need higher levels of healthcare services. There has been a concerted effort to develop the technology and bio-tech sectors of our economy, which I think is starting to bear fruit."
Poughkeepsie, NY
Net employment growth: 21%
Poughkeepsie rounds out the top 5, having the same net employment rate as Des Moines, IA and Richmond, VA. We gave Poughkeepsie the nod because the spring and summertime there are absolutely gorgeous. Though for some time the economy of Poughkeepsie has been rather stagnant, things have turned around, and now there are predictions of over 20% growth for the forseeable future.
Five Worst Metropolitan Areas
We won't offer you a bunch of quotes with this list. Just know that rather than looking for employment in these towns, you should only consider moving if you already have the job locked down. Coming from a former Michigander, in the case of Detroit, a gun might help as well.
Ventura, CA
Net employment growth: 3%
Seattle, WA
Net employment growth: 5%
Sarasota, FL
Net employment growth: 5%
New Orleans, LA
Net employment growth: 5%
Detroit, MI
Net employment growth: 5%
In the case of each of these cities, net employment gains have grinded to a near stand still. It's interesting to note that geopgraphy doesn't seem to play a huge role in these numbers, with the poor performing cities coming from all different sides of the United States. Employment also doesn't seem to have been affected by the size of these metropolitan areas either, with both larger and smaller cities represented on both lists.
