Need a job? Consider a move to Nebraska

Posted Sep 27th 2009 9:40AM by Tom Johansmeyer
Filed under: Employees, Recession

Lincoln, Neb., is the best place in the country for job-hunters. A new survey by headhunting firm Manpower (NYSE: MAN) reports that 21% of employers there plan to add employees in the next quarter, with only 4% looking to cut. That 17% spread (which Manpower calls the "net employment outlook") is tops in the United States.

Flint, Mich., on the other hand, is at the other end of the spectrum: 26% of employers are planning to chop jobs, while only 9% are forecasting new positions.

Other cities at the upper end of the list for job-seekers include Rochester, N.Y.; Waco, Tex.; and Pasco, Wash. -- with net employment outlooks of 10% to 11%.

Meanwhile, joining Flint are Detroit, Mich.; Dayton, Ohio; and Salinas, Calif., which are in the -14% to -15% range. As a result of the rough conditions in these cities, not to mention others on the list, the United States has reached its lowest net employment outlook since 1962. By the end of the year, 12% of employers across the country plan to hire, with 14% anticipating reductions. The result is a net employment outlook of -2%. Last year, the fourth quarter turned in a positive (and relatively high) net employment outlook of 9%.

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