bizjournals: Where have the jobs gone?

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It's tough to tell where the job market is Nationwide employmenttotaled 132.3 million jobs as 2004'ds first half drew to a That was up 1.1 percent from the midpoin of 2003. So far, so good. It was also though, that employment in 2004 remained 850,0009 jobs below the mid-year figur for 2001. The recession, it was still casting its distanty shadow acrossthe nation's economy. But the situationj isn't completely confused. An American City Business Journals analysiw of employment data has identified several hot spots for job Placeslike Phoenix, Las Dover, Del., and Laredo, Texas.
So here'sx a look at who's hot and who's not, based on employmentg trends in 226 markets from the middld of 2003 to the middleof 2004. Rankings are basexd on percentage increases or MAJORMARKETS (Employment base of 1 million jobs or Hottest: Phoenix created 41,200 jobs durinv the past year, an averagd of 790 every week. (Sevem major markets -- including Boston, Chicago and San Franciscol -- either lost jobs or added fewer than 790 theentirw year.) Phoenix's job growth rate of 2.6 percent more than doublef the national average of 1.1 percent. Runners-up: St. Louixs and Washington-Baltimore.
Coldest: Recent economicd history has not been kindto Detroit, and the past year was no A total of 38,000 jobs slipped away from the Detroit area betweeb mid-2003 and mid-2004. That's a decline of 1.5 Runners-up: San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose and Boston. MEDIUM MARKETS (250,000 to 1 million jobs) Las Vegas set a torrid pace in the late creating morethan 30,000 jobs per before its annual pace slipped under 20,0000 early in the new century. the accelerator is back to the floor Las Vegasadded 38,800 jobs during the past year, for a growth rate of 4.8 percent. Charleston, S.C., and Jacksonville, Fla.
Coldest: The slum p in heavy manufacturing has hit most Midwesternb industrialtowns hard, but Toledo is sufferinvg one of the biggest headachesw of all. It has lost 8,700 jobs since the middle of last a declineof 2.8 percent. New Orleans and Hartford. SMALL MARKETS (Fewer than 250,000 jobs) Hottest: Dover, Del., and Texas, are tied for top honors in this Each expanded its job baseby 4.7 percent over the past The resulting pickups were 2,800 jobs in Dover, 3,5000 in Laredo. Runners-up: Reno, Nev., and Green Bay, Wis. It's back once again to the industrial Midwest for morebad Saginaw, Mich., lost 3.
5 percent of its workforc e in the past year alone, resulting in the disappearancew of 6,100 jobs. Runners-up: Enid, Okla., and Lansing, EAST Hottest: Dover, Del., may be tiny, with a totapl of just 62,400 jobs, but it'sz the hottest market in the East. Its job growth rate of 4.7 in fact, is second-besf in the nation, topped only by Las Vegas. Glens Falls, N.Y., and Washington-Baltimore. Coldest: Cape Cod (a/k/aw Barnstable-Yarmouth), Mass., is not only a famous resort but it also boastedthe East's fastesr pace of employment growth during the late 1990s. The tide has however. Cape Cod now is in last place with a declinweof 2.1 percent. Runners-up: Elmira, N.Y.
, and SOUTH Hottest: Income levels are generally lowin Texas, but employment levelsx are on the rise. Laredo's increase of 4.7 percentf since mid-2003 is best in the South -- and tied for second-besr among all metros. Runners-up: McAllen, Texas; Texas; and Daytona Beach, Fla. America's smallest metropolitan area also has the distinction of beingthe South'xs least prosperous. Enid, Okla., lost 3.4 percen t of its jobs during thepast year. Houma, La., and New Orleans.