Map to the Most Jobs

The latest BLS numbers show that the U.S. lost 651,000 jobs in February, growing the unemployment rate to its highest level in 25 years to 8.1% . For those who are unemployed or fearful of a layoff are left wondering, “Are there any jobs out there?”

CareerBuilder released its Map to the Most Jobs today. This map showcases where the most jobs are in the U.S. in relation to population, based on the number of CareerBuilder job listings for every 1,000 residents.

Dark blue areas currently carry the most jobs and light blue areas are not as strong, but still show positive signs of job creation.  Gray areas indicate a lesser amount of jobs while orange areas indicate the least amount of jobs in relation to residents.

Watch this clip of CareerBuilder.com CEO Matt Ferguson explain what the map means.

Take a closer look at the map and its details after the jump.

Blue:  Dark blue areas currently carry the most jobs and light blue areas are not as strong, but still show positive signs of job creation.

1) The South continues to lead all regions in job creation as an aging population migrates to warmer climates and the nation’s dependency on oil and gas persists.

• Arizona, Florida and Nevada - all popular retirement destinations driving the need for more health care organizations.  Georgia is also seeing an uptick in health care hiring.
• Texas - continues to see growth in engineering jobs related to the oil and gas industry as well as health care employment.

2) While slowing somewhat due to the uncertainty around energy prices, the natural resources and mining sector continues to have some growth in the West.  Technology is also bringing jobs to the West.

• Wyoming, Colorado and Idaho – natural resources and mining and agriculture still providing employment opportunities.
• Washington – biotech and health care remain strong.
• California – recent layoffs are believed to be a short-term trend with demand for software engineers, systems analysts and Web-related occupations still in demand.

3) Growth in government jobs, defense contractors, education and insurance fuel opportunities on the east coast.

• Washington D.C., Maryland and parts of Virginia – government is one of the bright spots in hiring with plans to expand departments even further underway.
• Areas of New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts – have been hit by the financial crisis, but companies are still looking for revenue generators.  Hiring at collections agencies and insurance companies has seen an uptick.  New York and Massachusetts are also home to major academic and research institutions.

4) Similar to other regions, the Midwest sees increases in opportunities around education and trade and transportation.

• Kansas, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa – all continue to add jobs in these areas.

Gray and Orange: Gray areas indicate a lesser amount of jobs while orange areas indicate the least amount of jobs in relation to residents.

5) Areas populated with manufacturing plants have been hit hard with 1 million jobs lost in the last year.

• Ohio and Michigan - home to manufacturing plants, including automotive.
• Oregon – manufacturing, an important source of Oregon exports, saw declines begin in 2007 and escalate in 2008 particularly in transportation, wood product and machinery.
• West Virginia – although natural resources and mining is adding jobs, manufacturing and construction continue to lose jobs at a significant pace.

6) Financial institutions have lost nearly 400,000 jobs over the last two years, impacting financial districts across the east coast and other areas.

• Areas of New York and Virginia are examples showcased in the map.