February 2012: The 10 Worst Cities to Find a Job

February was a good month for Louisville as they saw a 16% gain in hiring after a disappointing 12% drop in job activity in January. With a nice gain in February, the Derby City jumped 4 ranking points and is eyeing to get off the “Worst Cities to Find a Job” list.

February helped Cincinnati forget the 15% drop they saw in January with a 9% gain. The Queen City gained back 2 ranking points and is 1-point ahead of hiring since February 2011.

Despite a 4% gain in hiring activity, St. Louis dropped a rank on our list this month. Year-over-year, Mound City has dropped 2-points in employment activity.

Although Phoenix had a 4% gain in hiring activity in February, the Valley of the Sun City dropped one rank on our list. Year-over-year, Phoenix has gained 2-points in job activity.

Hiring in Detroit heated up in February with a 19% jump in activity. The positive bump in job activity helped the Motor City to propel to a 9-point gain from last February and jump 3 ranks on our list.

Hiring activity in Los Angeles dropped by 7% in February and 7-points since February 2011. This loss in job activity also dropped the City of Angeles four ranks on our list this month.

Tampa dropped 2% in employment activity in February and is 4-points behind February 2011.

Hiring activity in Miami rebounded by 2% after Januarys 9% drop. Despite the small gain, the Florida city is down 7-points from last February.

After a 27% decrease in hiring in January, Memphis bounced back with a nice 9% rebound jump in hiring in February.

After a nice increase last month, hiring activity in Riverside dropped 5% in February. Though the January brought a hiring boost to the area, Riverside still has a solid hold as the “Worst City to Find a Job.”