For many, January is a time to resolve to quit smoking, watch less TV or finally start making use of that gym membership. But this year, with unemployment hovering in the low double-digits, many revelers are making a different kind of New Year's resolution – to find a new job.
Of course, unlike breaking a habit or working out, getting a job isn't just a question of effort – no matter how much you improve your resume and interview skills, you can't find employment if there aren't any available jobs. But while cities across the U.S. are suffering from rising unemployment, not every metro area has been hit quite so hard by the turbulent economy. In fact, since the summer the list of cities that offer workers the best chance of finding a new job has remained relatively consistent.
December marks the sixth straight month that Washington, D.C. (Index score: 137) has offered job seekers more job openings per capita than any other metro area in the U.S. Boston (Index Score: 105) had a repeat performance in second place, although its jobs per capita score fell slightly, and trailed the nation's capital by 32 points. In fact, the entire list of the top five cities to find a job remained the same in December, giving job seekers a rare area of consistency in an otherwise turbulent employment market.
Outside the top five, the list saw more activity. After falling to as low as ninth place, Chicago (Index score: 57) enjoyed a rebound last month, gaining three places to finish sixth overall. This was no doubt helped by the impressive performance of the Midwest as a whole, which gained a significant number of job openings last month. On the other hand, Baltimore (Index score: 55) continued a slide that began in October, dropping two places to eighth overall. In addition, December saw the return of Denver (Index score: 49) to the top 10 list after a two month drought. Displacing Philadelphia (Index score: 46), the mile high city finished as the 10th best U.S. city to find a job.
Surveying 30 major metro areas across the U.S., the CareerCast.com/JobSerf Employment Index measures the volume of managerial job openings per capita each month to determine the best and worst locations for job seekers. So if you're determined to finally keep your New Year's resolution and find new employment, it might be time to check out one of the 10 best cities to find a managerial job in December:
| City | Index Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Washington, D.C. | 1 | +/-0 |
| Boston | 2 | +/-0 |
| San Francisco | 3 | +/-0 |
| Seattle | 4 | +/-0 |
| Atlanta | 5 | +3 |
| Chicago | 6 | +3 |
| New York | 7 | +/-0 |
| Baltimore | 8 | -2 |
| Pittsburgh | 9 | -1 |
| Denver | 10 | +1 |
On the opposite end of the spectrum, just as the five best cities remained stable in December, the index of metro areas with the worst job markets stayed relatively consistent, too. Continuing a run that's lasted since June, Riverside, Calif., offered fewer available jobs per capita than any other metro area in the U.S., with an Index score of just 13. To put this in perspective, the city located east of Los Angeles in southern California posted a performance more than 10 times worse than the leading American city, Washington, D.C.
Moving down the list, the second-, third- and fourth-worst cities to find a job also remained the same in December, as those spots were once again held by Detroit (Index score: 20), Memphis (Index score: 23) and Tampa Bay (Index score: 27), respectively. However, below that there were some surprising additions, as well as improvements that helped a couple of metro areas rise off the worst-cities list entirely. After steadily gaining jobs since September, Louisville (Index score: 28) posted a decline in openings per capita, finishing as the fifth-worst city in America to find a job. Indianapolis (Index score: 31) also suffered significant losses last month, falling back into the 10-worst list after a two month hiatus, to eighth place.
December also saw a newcomer join the worst-cities list. Finishing in 10th place, the addition of Los Angeles (Index score: 33) marks the first time one of the five biggest American metro areas has joined the list of the worst cities to find a job. This means that in December, the city of angels had fewer available jobs per capita than Hartford (Index score: 35), Cleveland (Index score: 40) or San Diego (Index score: 44). In addition, Washington, D.C. offered job seekers more than four times as many job openings per capita as LA.
Given their consistently poor performance, job seekers would be wise to avoid relocating to one of December's 10 worst cities to find a managerial job:
| City | Index Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Riverside, CA | 1 | +/-0 |
| Detroit | 2 | +/-0 |
| Memphis | 3 | +/-0 |
| Tampa Bay | 4 | +1 |
| Louisville | 5 | +2 |
| Cincinnati | 6 | +/-0 |
| Miami | 7 | -2 |
| Indianapolis | 8 | +3 |
| St. Louis | 9 | +/-0 |
| Los Angeles | 10 | +2 |
Knowing which cities offer the most job opportunities is important, but really making that New Year's resolution stick takes more than just picking the right location. To help you find true job search success, the CareerCast.com/JobSerf Employment Index breaks down hiring each month nationally, by region and across different job levels, so you can target your hunt accordingly. For more info see our complete report on U.S. online job-posting activity for December 2009:
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