In August 2012, unemployment rates were lower in 325 of the 372 total metro areas in the nation compared to the prior year, according to data recently released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The national unemployment rate was 8.2 percent (not seasonally...
Employment Analysis by Metro Area
Interest in Public Sector Employment Prevails in Spite of Challenges
State and local governments are struggling with budget gaps. Stimulus funds are drying up. Public pension shortfalls are making mainstream media headlines. To the casual observer, it would seem that qualified job candidates would be heading for the hills - or, in this...
June Metro Area Employment Update – Lafayette, LA Leads in Employment Growth Rate
Looking for good news in employment trends? June data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) points to annual nonfarm payroll employment growth in 268 of 372 U.S. metro areas - which translates to a positive trend in around 72 percent of the nation’s...
May Employment Data – Which Metro Areas Fared Best? Worst?
Lafayette, Louisiana led the nation in annual percentage gains in employment in May 2012, up 10.5 percent from a year earlier, according to recently released Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Columbus,...
Unemployment Trends Looking Brighter – for Most Metro Areas
Compared to a year earlier, unemployment rates were down in 342 of the 372 metropolitan areas in April 2012, according to a recent Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) press release. Other highlights of the latest BLS release: El Centro, California and Yuma, Arizona...
Unemployment Rates Drop in Majority of Metro Areas
Unemployment rates were lower in 351 of the 372 metropolitan areas in November 2011 compared to a year earlier, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics today. Unemployment rates were higher in 16 metro areas, and unchanged in five. The...
Public Sector Employment Continues Downward Slope
Employment has been both a casualty of - and a contributor to - the downturn in the economy. While private sector employment began its decline at the start of the recession, it has begun to show signs of recovery in recent months, according to Lucy Dadayan, a Senior...