by Karen Brune Mathis
Managing Editor
Forbes.com ranked Jacksonville No. 9 on its top 10 list of the worst job markets among the top 50 U.S. metro areas.
The national business publication’s website reported that metro Jacksonville’s 11.6 unemployment rate and the determination that it has 4.34 job seekers for each job opening placed it in the top 10.
“A slowdown in manufacturing and packaging has contributed to the Jacksonville area’s high unemployment rate, which could remain above 11 percent through this year,” according to Forbes.com.
“The risk of a second recession is uncomfortably high in Jacksonville,” it summarized.
Jacksonville was one of three Florida metro areas on the top 10 of the worst job markets. Miami was No. 3 and Orlando came in at No. 10.
Las Vegas took the No. 1 spot as the worst job market in the country, with unemployment of 14.3 percent and 8.39 job seekers for every opening.
Four California areas made the list: Riverside, No. 2; Sacramento, No. 5; Los Angeles, No. 6; and San Diego, No. 7.
The other two worst markets were Detroit, at No. 4, and Providence, R.I., No. 8.
“The metro areas that have fared worst,” said Forbes.com, were “those where construction and real estate, tourism and manufacturing have played a large part in economic growth.”
Meanwhile, Forbes.com crowned Washington, D.C., as the top job market, with an unemployment rate of 6 percent and 1.17 job seekers for each opening.
“As 2011 gets under way, Washington, D.C., flush with government and government-supported jobs, has the healthiest labor market among major U.S. metro areas,” wrote Forbes.com.
Other “best markets” also tended to be government hubs, said Forbes.com, such as Austin, Texas; Oklahoma City; and Hartford, Conn. Six of the top 10 were state capitals.
The top 10 best markets, after Washington, D.C., were Boston, Austin, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Oklahoma City, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Salt Lake City, New York and Hartford .
Forbes.com reported that to compile the list, it relied on metro data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the monthly “Job Search Difficulty Index for Major Cities” from www. Juju.com, a New York-based job-search engine.
Moody’s Economy.com provided additional analysis, according to Forbes.com.
356-2466