The Best And Worst Cities For Jobs This Fall

The climate for job seekers continues its slow trek towards improvement, with some markets showing particular optimism about the end of 2014 and U.S. employers reporting the strongest employment outlook since the first quarter of 2008, according to ManpowerGroup’s Employment Outlook Survey, released today.

“During 2014, we have seen incremental growth across industries and regions as employers rebuild their internal teams and implement new operations strategies,” said CEO Jonas Prising in a statement.

In measuring employment outlook, recruiting and consulting firm ManpowerGroup surveyed upwards of 18,000 U.S. employers. Nineteeen percent of those surveyed anticipate increasing staff during quarter four, down slightly from 22% last quarter. Seven percent of employers are anticipating a reduction in staff during the same time period.

Despite the slight dip in percentages, employers in several regions are reporting the strongest employment outlooks in more than half a decade, with Midwestern employers anticipating the strongest hiring quarter since the end of 2007 and employers in the South and West expecting the best three month period since the beginning of 2008.

Those looking to snag a job in the fourth quarter will want to set their sights on the South and Southwest.  Topping the list of cities with the best outlooks for the fall is Dallas, Texas. Thirty percent of companies surveyed plan to add staff between October and December of this year, and just 3% expect reductions in staff.

This gives the Dallas-Forth Worth-Arlington, Texas, market a net employment outlook–calculated by subtracting the percentage of employers anticipating a decrease in staff from the employers anticipating an increase–of 27%, up from 8% at this time last year.

“Texas in general has proven itself to be an employer friendly state, which absolutely helps attract businesses from other parts of the country,” said ManpowerGroup Regional Director Steven Clay. “Dallas-Fort Worth is central, and it’s a great place for headquarters as well as distribution centers, and companies are looking at Texas not just because it’s centrally-located, but because it’s a corporate-friendly environment.”

The Dallas industries anticipating the strongest quarter are construction, manufacturing, transportation and utilities, and wholesale and retail.

Prospects look less promising for job seekers in Akron, Ohio; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the three markets where employers are anticipating the weakest fourth quarter hiring. Spokane, Washington; Providence, Rhode Island; Hartford, Connecticut; and Albany, New York tie for fourth.

Nationally, employers hiring for jobs in leisure and hospitality, mining, and wholesale and retail anticipate adding the most staff, while education and health services and government anticipate the fewest new hires.

At the state level, hiring opportunities are distributed over a slightly broader slice of the map. North Dakota, Arizona, Mississippi, Texas, and Wisconsin report the strongest outlooks and Alaska, Maine, New Jersey, and Arkansas report the fewest anticipated opportunities.

“The lack of any significant peaks or valleys in the survey results reflects a slow and steady climb that continues to define the employment landscape, and an enduring optimism that will carry us into 2015,” said Prising.

September 09’2014

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kathryndill/2014/09/09/the-best-and-worst-cities-for-jobs-this-fall/