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The probability that unemployed workers will find Miami Dade County jobs is among the worst in the nation.

The most recent Job Search Difficulty Index ranked the Miami area 48th among the 50 best cities for job seekers, with only St. Louis, Mo., and Detroit ranking worse. The report is based on the ratio of jobless workers to the number of job openings advertised online.

The index found that Miami had 14.47 unemployed individuals per advertised job opening during December 2009. Florida as a whole fared slightly better, ranking 37th among all states, with 8.82 unemployed workers per advertised job.

Washington, D.C., was ranked as the best city for job seekers, with 1.87 unemployed workers per advertised job, while Detroit was ranked as the worst city, with 20.76 unemployed workers per available job.

The District of Columbia was ranked as the best state for job seekers, with 1.65 unemployed workers per job openings, while Michigan was ranked as the worst state, with 18.97 unemployed workers per advertised job.

The top 10 cities for job seekers are:

1. Washington, D.C.
2. San Jose, Calif.
3. Baltimore, Md.
4. Boston, Mass.
5. New York, N.Y.
6. Salt Lake City, Utah
7. Hartford, Conn.
8. Denver, Colo.
9. San Antonio, Texas
10. Austin, Texas

The 10 worst cities for job seekers include:

1. Orlando, Fla.
2. Providence, R.I.
3. Birmingham, Ala.
4. Los Angeles, Calif.
5. Sacramento, Calif.
6. Las Vegas, Nev.
7. Riverside, Calif.
8. Miami, Fla.
9. St. Louis, Mo.
10. Detroit, Mich.

The top 10 states for job seekers are: the District of Columbia; Virginia; North Dakota; Massachusetts; Maryland; Nebraska; Alaska; Colorado; Connecticut; and Utah.

The 10 worst states for job seekers include: California; Alabama; North Carolina; South Carolina; Kentucky; Rhode Island; Nevada; Idaho; Mississippi; and Michigan.

Labels: Miami Dade County Jobs

With the state's economy one of the worst hit by the economic recession, those searching for Nevada jobs won't easily find reprieve this year.

Nevada saw some relief during November 2009, as the state's unemployment rate declined from 12.9 percent to 12.3 percent, but officials say unemployment is declining for the wrong reasons. In addition, jobs were still lost on a monthly and yearly basis.

The state had a total non-farm employment of 1,166,000 workers during November, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 1,174,800 workers during October and a 6.1 percent decrease from November 2008.

As evidenced by the continuing decline in employment, many economists are predicting that, while the rest of the nation begins to recover, Nevada will continue to fall behind, and may not see any improvement until the middle of the year.

"It projects to be a slow, anemic recovery," Tom Cargill, an economist at the University of Nevada, Reno, told The Associated Press. "If I were a private businessman, I wouldn't be hiring or expanding. I just don't see much positive out there."

In fact, many economists are predicting that Nevada will see a jobless recovery, meaning there will be no employment growth as companies get by with their existing staff members.

"So those who remain are working harder, and we're seeing a huge increase in productivity," Cargill said. "But it's not sustainable."

Bill Anderson, an economist with the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, predicts the state's economy will "tread water through much of 2010," and will be lucky to see outright growth by late 2010.

"As a result, countless Nevadans will struggle over the next several months," he said, adding that any employment growth this year will be an improvement from 2009.

Elliott Parker, an economist with UNR, predicts that Nevada's unemployment rate will increase through spring if the state cuts jobs because of its impending budget deficit. However, he does not expect the unemployment rate to reach more than 14 percent.

"That's partly because I expect people to leave for jobs that are opening elsewhere," he noted.

Labels: Nevada jobs