For many people, spring is an optimistic time filled with opportunities for renewal. Many take the time to clear out the clutter and make room for bigger and better things, whether personal or professional. Businesses take time to make changes, implementing new ideas and hiring or firing if necessary. A recent survey conducted by ManPowerGroup, an employment services firm, shows that many companies make new hires during the first and second quarters. They use the difference between those who plan to hire and those who plan to fire to determine the “net employment outlook.” Jacquelyn Smith, a Forbes writer, created a list of the best and worst cities for employment based on these numbers. Here are some of the results:
Best Cities
No. 1 (Tie) San Jose – Sunnyvale – Santa Clara, Calif
No. 1 (Tie) Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, Maine
Net Employment Outlook: 23%
No. 3 (Tie) Salt Lake City, Utah
No. 3 (Tie) Tucson, Az
Net Employment Outlook: 22%
No. 5 (Tie) Des Moines – West Des Moines, Iowa
No. 5 (Tie) Poughkeepsie – Newburgh – Middletown, N.Y
No. 5 (Tie) Richmond, Va
Net Employment Outlook: 21%
If you are looking for new opportunities here is where you don’t want to be:
Worst Cities
No. 1 Worst City: Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, Calif.
Net Employment Outlook: 3%
No.2 (Tie)Â Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash.
No. 2 (Tie)Â North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Fla.
No. 2 (Tie)Â New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, La.
No. 2 (Tie)Â Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich.
Net Employment Outlook: 5%
No. 6 (Tie)Â Springfield, Mass.
No. 6 (Tie)Â Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pa.-N.J.-Del.-Md.
No. 6 (Tie)Â New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa.
No. 6 (Tie)Â Honolulu, Hawaii
Net Employment Outlook: 6%