In June, employment activity among the 30 major metro areas surveyed by the CareerCast.com/JobSerf Employment Index was extremely consistent, as all but one city posted an increase in hiring for the month. The employment picture in July, however, was more nuanced, with gains and losses spread throughout the list. The biggest surprises were among the 10 best cities to find a job, where despite a strong performance nationally, just one of the metro areas managed to gain ground in July. The best performers in the group were Chicago, which gained a single point to reach an Index score of 84 and climb to 6th place, along with Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, which broke even. Every other city saw employment activity decline, with Boston leading the way by posting a surprising 14-point decline. After recording strong gains each month since January, the Massachusetts city had been on pace to overtake Washington, D.C., by September. Now, however, it remains a full 44 points behind the nation's capital.
Looking to relocate to a market with better employment activity? It might be worthwhile to consider one of the following 10 places, which make up the 10 Best Cities for Finding a New Job: