I just read an article on the Internet by Anthony Balderrama of CareerBuilder.com on the Best and Worst States for Jobs which was very interesting. The article claimed that the best places to find jobs are where unemployment stats are lowest (Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), January 2008) - makes sense. Of course, he quoted a national average of 5% and it's higher now (6.1% from the news programs).
Best 15 states for finding a job, as of January 2008 BLS statistics, are South Dakota, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraka, Utah, Hawaii, North Dakota, Virginia, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Delaware, Maryland, Iowa and Vermont. Their unemployment rates were between 3% and 4%. The mean annual wage (nonfarm payrolls) ranged between $30,460 and $44,030. In South Dakota, Idaho, Nebraska, Utah, North Dakota, Montana, New Hampshire, Delaware, Iowa and Vermont, the top industries are trade, transportation and utilities whereas in Wyoming, Hawaii, Virginia, New Mexico and Maryland, the top industry is government.
Worst 10 states for finding a job, as of January 2008 BLS statistics, are Michigan (duh!), Mississippi, South Carolina, Alaska, California, District of Columbia, Ohio, Arkansas, Nevada and Kentucky. Their unemployment rates were between 7.6% and 5.7% (below the current national average). The mean annual wage (nonfarm payrolls) ranged between $30,460 and $61,500. In Michigan, South Carolina, California, Ohio, Arkansas, and Kentucky, the top industries are trade, transportation and utilities, in Mississippi, Alaska, and the District of Columbia, the top industry is government and in Nevada, it's leisure and hospitality.
OK, so here are some questions this raises... where are the other 25 states unemployment rates? If the national average unemployment rate has gone up 1.1%, has that increase happened across all states or not? If not, what factors within the individual states are driving it up or down? What proactive actions are state governments taking to decrease their unemployment rates? Which industries are most recession resistant? Are there standard of living criteria included when demographers look at the economy? For example, you can't buy a shack in most parts of California for $61,500. Anyway, simply looking at unemployment, population, mean wage and primary industries seems very shortsighted to me. What skills does the job being sought entail? Are they transferable across several industries? Is telecommuting or cybercommuting a possibility? Are the jobs being offered in that state or sector full time, part time, flex time or freelance? What is important to that particular individual; higher salaries, more flexibility, health care, urban, suburban or rural setting, etc.? What size business do you want to work for? What is the trending economy in the area, up or down, and for how long, months or years? What if you'd rather build your own business instead? So it's not so simple looking for a job after all.
