The latest figures on unemployment are anything but encouraging. Still, if you’re looking to hire, you could find it hard to bring in qualified applicants, depending on what part of the country you live in and what types of jobs you’re looking to fill.
Adecco, one of North America’s biggest placement and outsourcing firms, released its analysis of the labor market, which included the cities where you’ll have a hard time filling positions:
- First of all, if you’re in the areas of Boston, Washington, DC, or Milwaukee, don’t expect a tide of unemployed workers to come knocking on your door. The unemployment rates in those areas are well below the latest national average of 7.2%.
- In contrast, you can expect lots of out-of-work applicants if you’re in or around Detroit, Las Vegas or Los Angeles. All three of those have unemployment rates well above the national average.
- Looking for college grads? The unemployment rate for those with a four-year degree is only 3.9%. If you have low-skill jobs to fill, however, the field is wide and deep: Unemployment among workers who haven’t finished high school is 10.9%.
All HR managers should mark mid-February on their calendars. That’s when President-elect Obama hopes to pass his $800-billion stimulus plan that’s aimed at opening up millions of public-works jobs. If that plan passes, expect the labor market to tighten up a bit.
