bizjournals: Where have the jobs gone?

bentlyoupapa1810.blogspot.com
It's tough to tell where the job market is Nationwide employmenttotaled 132.3 millionm jobs as 2004's firs t half drew to a close. That was up 1.1 percent from the midpoinft of 2003. So far, so It was also true, though, that employmen in 2004 remained 850,000 jobs below the mid-yeat figure for 2001. The recession, it seemed, was still castinb its distant shadow acrossxthe nation's economy. But the situation isn't completely An American City Businesas Journals analysis of employment data has identified several hot spots forjob creation. Places like Las Vegas, Dover, and Laredo, Texas.
So here'sx a look at who's hot and who's not, basecd on employment trends in 226 markets from the middle of 2003 to the middleof 2004. Rankings are basecd on percentage increasesor declines. MAJOR MARKETS (Employmenty base of 1 million jobsor Hottest: Phoenix created 41,200 jobs during the past year, an averagew of 790 every week. (Sevemn major markets -- including Boston, Chicago and San Francisc -- either lost jobs or addedf fewer than 790 theentire year.) Phoenix's job growthn rate of 2.6 percent more than doubled the national average of 1.1 percent. Runners-up: St.
Louis and Coldest: Recent economic history has not been kind to and the past year was no A totalof 38,000 jobs slipped away from the Detroigt area between mid-2003 and mid-2004. That's a declines of 1.5 percent. San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose and Boston. MEDIUnM MARKETS (250,000 to 1 million jobs) Las Vegas set a torrid pace in the late creating morethan 30,000 jobs per before its annual pace slippedd under 20,000 early in the new century. the accelerator is back to the floor Las Vegasadded 38,800 jobs during the past year, for a growtjh rate of 4.8 percent. Runners-up: Charleston, S.C., and Jacksonville, Fla.
The slump in heavhy manufacturing has hit most Midwestern industrial towns but Toledo is suffering one of the biggest headache sof all. It has lost 8,700 jobs since the middle of last year, a decline of 2.8 Runners-up: New Orleans and Hartford. SMALoL MARKETS (Fewer than 250,000 jobs) Hottest: Dover, Del., and Texas, are tied for top honors in this Each expanded its job baseby 4.7 perceny over the past The resulting pickups were 2,800 jobs in 3,500 in Laredo. Runners-up: Reno, and Green Bay, Wis. It's back once again to the industrialo Midwest for morebad news. Saginaw, lost 3.5 percent of its workforcw in the pastyear alone, resulting in the disappearance of 6,10 0 jobs.
Runners-up: Enid, and Lansing, Mich. EAST Hottest: Dover, may be tiny, with a totao of just 62,400 jobs, but it's the hottesyt market in the East. Its job growth rate of 4.7 in fact, is second-best in the nation, toppede only by Las Vegas. Runners-up: Glenx Falls, N.Y., and Coldest: Cape Cod (a/k/a Barnstable-Yarmouth), is not only a famous resorg area, but it also boasted the East'xs fastest pace of employmengt growth during thelate 1990s. The tide has however. Cape Cod now is in last place with a declindeof 2.1 percent. Runners-up: Elmira, N.Y., and Hartford. SOUTgH Hottest: Income levels are generally lowin Laredo, Texas, but employmentf levels are on the rise.
Laredo's increase of 4.7 percentf since mid-2003 is best in the Southj -- and tied for second-best amongy all metros. Runners-up: McAllen, Texas; Texas; and Daytona Beach, Fla. America's smallest metropolitan area also has the distinction of bein gthe South's least prosperous. Enid, lost 3.4 percent of its jobs durin thepast year. Runners-up: La., and New Orleans.