Baltimore benefited the most from improved hiring this month, gaining 6% to reach its four-year watermark score of 105. The city’s hiring index is up 57 points since bottoming out in July 2009. Indianapolis had its second measurable improvement in as many months. Its hiring activity climbed 4%, now sitting 13 index points higher than a year ago. Indianapolis also made significant strides in September, part of an overall improvement for cities involved in auto manufacturing. The Midwest, epicenter for the automotive industry, increased hiring throughout the region by 6 index points.
Hiring gains in the state’s largest city have helped buoy overall improvement throughout Indiana which, according to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, has had a 0.9% reduction in its unemployment rate over the past year.
Hit hard this month was Dallas. Hiring there dipped 8%, far-and-away the most significant drop nationally.
“Dallas, my hometown, has been hit by recent major layoff announcements or warnings from some its largest companies, including American Airlines, Hewlett Packard/EDS, Radio Shack and Lockheed,” Martin says.
Despite Dallas’ dramatic hiring decline, the Southwest region joined the Northeast, Midwest and Southeast with improved October figures. Only the West dropped.
Gains in the Southeast and Southwest were nominal – 0.9 and 1.7 index points, respectively – but the Northeast was up 10.3 points.
| Index Month | Northeast | Southeast | Midwest | Southwest | West |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2012 | 105.8 | 93.3 | 106.4 | 109.9 | 79.3 |
| September 2012 | 95.4 | 92.4 | 100.4 | 108.2 | 81.4 |
| August 2012 | 103.9 | 99.0 | 104.5 | 113.2 | 83.6 |
| July 2012 | 98.4 | 94.1 | 102.4 | 120.2 | 83.9 |
| June 2012 | 100.2 | 95.8 | 101.7 | 112.5 | 82.3 |
| May 2012 | 88.8 | 81.7 | 96.1 | 106.1 | 77.2 |
| April 2012 | 97.8 | 96.0 | 99.4 | 109.0 | 80.7 |
| March 2012 | 111.9 | 110.7 | 107.5 | 117.4 | 87.7 |
| February 2012 | 109.8 | 96.4 | 114.0 | 109.6 | 80.9 |
| January 2012 | 95.5 | 82.3 | 93.0 | 100.2 | 74.8 |
| December 2011 | 95.8 | 88.0 | 92.5 | 95.8 | 73.7 |
| November 2011 | 105.3 | 99.6 | 96.6 | 105.6 | 84.5 |
| October 2011 | 105.7 | 95.2 | 98.6 | 103.3 | 80.7 |
| September 2011 | 98.2 | 96.7 | 107.4 | 105.5 | 85.0 |
| August 2011 | 108.3 | 100.6 | 112.0 | 109.5 | 86.9 |
| July 2011 | 104.2 | 94.4 | 101.5 | 109.0 | 84.5 |
| June 2011 | 103.6 | 95.2 | 99.3 | 102.1 | 81.3 |
| May 2011 | 105.1 | 98.7 | 101.5 | 111.6 | 85.6 |
| April 2011 | 120.3 | 106.4 | 120.7 | 122.1 | 93.1 |
| March 2011 | 123.1 | 109.0 | 113.2 | 105.5 | 87.9 |
| February 2011 | 118.1 | 95.5 | 124.9 | 106.1 | 85.3 |
| January 2011 | 114.3 | 90.7 | 112.1 | 117.3 | 87.4 |
| December 2010 | 106.7 | 97.0 | 104.6 | 100.2 | 82.2 |
| November 2010 | 100.4 | 100.1 | 103.6 | 112.6 | 91.6 |
| October 2010 | 108.8 | 89.6 | 98.2 | 102.4 | 80.6 |
| September 2010 | 102.0 | 91.8 | 102.0 | 103.9 | 84.8 |
| August 2010 | 108.8 | 95.6 | 106.4 | 105.2 | 84.3 |
| July 2010 | 111.7 | 100.6 | 101.9 | 103.5 | 88.6 |
| June 2010 | 108.9 | 100.1 | 97.0 | 100.4 | 79.7 |
| May 2010 | 98.6 | 89.2 | 89.4 | 102.9 | 77.5 |
| April 2010 | 99.7 | 87.3 | 91.3 | 94.9 | 74.5 |
| March 2010 | 94.1 | 85.6 | 86.3 | 97.5 | 71.3 |
| February 2010 | 94.3 | 79.4 | 95.8 | 88.6 | 70.9 |
| January 2010 | 85.0 | 66.4 | 76.8 | 84.8 | 63.6 |
| December 2009 | 84.8 | 76.0 | 75.1 | 79.3 | 67.6 |
| November 2009 | 84.5 | 74.7 | 68.2 | 77.7 | 69.5 |
| October 2009 | 78.0 | 66.6 | 62.1 | 73.7 | 63.8 |
| September 2009 | 75.6 | 69.1 | 65.1 | 75.4 | 64.5 |
| August 2009 | 92.0 | 83.3 | 80.4 | 86.3 | 73.7 |
| July 2009 | 87.5 | 80.3 | 72.4 | 88.1 | 75.0 |
| June 2009 | 68.6 | 64.4 | 60.9 | 69.4 | 55.9 |
| May 2009 | 67.0 | 61.8 | 53.1 | 66.9 | 51.7 |
| April 2009 | 46.0 | 42.5 | 40.4 | 47.5 | 40.1 |
| March 2009 | 48.1 | 45.8 | 39.0 | 51.6 | 45.2 |
| February 2009 | 51.7 | 50.4 | 46.6 | 54.4 | 50.5 |
| January 2009 | 66.0 | 58.5 | 56.6 | 70.8 | 62.6 |
| December 2008 | 69.7 | 69.9 | 59.8 | 71.8 | 66.3 |
| November 2008 | 81.1 | 76.8 | 72.7 | 81.6 | 78.3 |
| October 2008 | 75.1 | 71.5 | 71.1 | 79.0 | 75.2 |
| September 2008 | 87.0 | 82.9 | 86.8 | 97.8 | 93.3 |
| August 2008 | 109.0 | 102.5 | 105.8 | 115.2 | 109.4 |
| July 2008 | 106.6 | 96.4 | 107.7 | 111.1 | 96.3 |
| June 2008 | 108.0 | 101.2 | 100.4 | 111.7 | 103.0 |
| May 2008 | 100.0 | 97.2 | 92.2 | 103.8 | 97.0 |
| April 2008 | 98.3 | 92.3 | 96.7 | 99.6 | 95.5 |
| March 2008 | 115.2 | 113.1 | 108.3 | 119.3 | 107.7 |
| February 2008 | 114.5 | 105.0 | 133.6 | 117.3 | 105.3 |
| January 2008 | 101.2 | 94.6 | 103.3 | 113.5 | 100.3 |
Continue reading for analysis of how individual job titles fared in October hiring.