June 2018 Large US Metro Area Unemployment Rate

[dimondpark]

I goofed in the title-THIS IS FOR JUNE 2018

Historically, 5 percent is considered "full employment"


https://www.bls.gov/web/metro/laulrgma.htm

[JManc]

Houston still not recovered from oil downturn. For my field, I've seen a crap ton of opportunities in the SF and San Jose areas. None here.

[dimondpark]

Originally Posted by JManc

Houston still not recovered from oil downturn. For my field, I've seen a crap ton of opportunities in the SF and San Jose areas. None here.

4.6% is actually very good compared to most of the last decade when 6-7 was the norm.

[skyscraperpage17]

Originally Posted by JManc

Houston still not recovered from oil downturn. For my field, I've seen a crap ton of opportunities in the SF and San Jose areas. None here.

Houston's the 2nd fastest growing metro area in the country, adding nearly 100,000 new residents per year.

If that's an example of a city that has "not recovered," I'd hate to see how fast it would be growing if it "recovered."

[The North One]

Why is Cleveland and New Orleans so much higher than everyone else?

[ATXboom]

Originally Posted by The North One

Why is Cleveland and New Orleans so much higher than everyone else?

Industry type. Types of industry in those cities aren’t growing as fast.

[mhays]

Unemployment rates are a funny thing. You can be really low because your economy is fantastic, or you can be really low because people leave your city the moment they don't have a job. But the super-low cities are all in the first category. Maybe the second topic levels off at a higher rate.

Likewise a high unemployment rate can suggest that people will move to your city because they want to, then figure out where to work after that, coupled with a lack of job growth.

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by mhays

Unemployment rates are a funny thing. You can be really low because your economy is fantastic, or you can be really low because people leave your city the moment they don't have a job.

i would think that the second part would also indicate a large professional class, however, as i don't think that the working class is quite so mobile.

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by ATXboom

Industry type. Types of industry in those cities aren’t growing as fast.

i've always figured that cleveland and st. louis had similar industry types, though. small and medium sized industry and fabrication here seems to be churning along...i'm talking about the flexible, smaller semi-custom-type shops. although SKF has just opened a large, mega-modern facility too.

[Trae]

Wow the Twin Cities and Denver at less than 3%. I wonder what incentives employers are offering people there so they don't jump from company to company.

[Sun Belt]

Now is the time to ask the boss man for a raise.

[skyscraperpage17]

Originally Posted by Sun Belt

Now is the time to ask the boss man for a raise.

Or better yet, job hop.

[JManc]

Originally Posted by dimondpark

4.6% is actually very good compared to most of the last decade when 6-7 was the norm.

It's better but still not good. I may have to take a job in the SF/ Bay Area and fly back home weekends.

[pdxtex]

Originally Posted by JManc

Houston still not recovered from oil downturn. For my field, I've seen a crap ton of opportunities in the SF and San Jose areas. None here.

what is your field if you dont mind me asking? are you involved in chemicals or energy? lots of energy jobs on the west coast right now.

[Chef]

Originally Posted by Trae

Wow the Twin Cities and Denver at less than 3%. I wonder what incentives employers are offering people there so they don't jump from company to company.

Ironically (or not) this is the lead story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune today:

Twin Cities charities report record demand despite rising prosperity
By Shannon Prather AUGUST 3, 2018 — 9:34PM

Some Minnesota social service charities say they are seeing record levels of need — even at a time of low unemployment and overall rising prosperity.

Largely stagnant wages and a growing population of struggling seniors, paired with a housing shortage and rising rents, have pushed the Twin Cities' poorest even lower, nonprofits leaders say.

http://www.startribune.com/twin-citi...ity/490018111/

Something is really broken in America.

[BrownTown]

Originally Posted by JManc

Houston still not recovered from oil downturn. For my field, I've seen a crap ton of opportunities in the SF and San Jose areas. None here.

The difference between the two is 1.6% and most economists would actually say Houston's 4.6 is better than San Fran's 3.0. Unemployment numbers that are too low cause cost of living to rise (San Fran definitely has this issue) and can lead to inefficiency if companies can't find enough skilled workers.

Originally Posted by Chef

Ironically (or not) this is the lead story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune today:

Something is really broken in America.

It has to do with how these numbers are calculated. The people it mentions as being in need are in the labor force at all so they don't count in this metric.

[chris08876]

Originally Posted by BrownTown

The difference between the two is 1.6% and most economists would actually say Houston's 4.6 is better than San Fran's 3.0. Unemployment numbers that are too low cause cost of living to rise (San Fran definitely has this issue) and can lead to inefficiency if companies can't find enough skilled workers.

But it can also lead to competitive wage increases from employers. Some of the clients I deal with in the manufacturing sector are forced to raise wages and salaries, just to either steal or attract candidates in this market. It can be a good thing sometimes for the employee, not so much for the employers.

That's the good thing about competition.

The higher the skill level and qualifications, the more leverage one has in this market.

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by JManc

It's better but still not good. I may have to take a job in the SF/ Bay Area and fly back home weekends.

Just set up a tent on some sidewalk along with everybody else.

[James Bond Agent 007]

We're number 10!

KC doesn't seem like the kind of city with a really low unemployment rate, but ... there it is.

I suspect the unemployment rate in Johnson County must be, like, 1%.

[Crawford]

I'm kinda surprised about Cleveland. Most of Northern OH is pretty tied into the auto industry and not that different economically than Detroit, yet Detroit has significantly lower unemployment.

Of course, we aren't talking enormous differences here. The first and last place cities aren't massively different.