New England and Other Regions See Job Growth

The Staffing View

On business, the workplace and employee relations

January, 2011

Micro Tech’s Featured Jobs Openings for December

Credit and Collection Clerk, Marlborough, MA

$20 per hour

This is a long-term temp assignment, ranging from six to nine months The office has a high volume of customers Attractive candidates will have two years experience, as well as experience with Oracle and SAP

Marketing Coordinator, Woburn, MA

Up to $50,000

Small financial software company is looking for a marketing coordinator with search engine optimization and search engine marketing experience, and customer relationship management (salesforce) experience Eloqua or Marketo experience is also a large plus

SQL DBA Manager, Westwood, MA

Up to $115, 000

The ideal candidate will have more than 10 years experience with Microsoft SQL Administrator as well as at least three years of management experience SQL data migration experience is required

Rock Solid in the Granite State

Job seekers, as well as workers already holding permanent or temporary positions, have found that the recession was less severe in New England than in the nation in general and less severe in New Hampshire than in the rest of the region In fact, that often seems to be the case when it comes to the economy and factors that make New Hampshire a relatively high growth state

According to the New England Economic Partnership, New Hampshire will be the first state in the region to recover all the jobs it lost during the recession and probably the first in the country By the first quarter of 2012 the Granite State will have regained its lost jobs and be in a long-term growth trend line about a year later

It’s not the first time that New Hampshire has weathered a recession better than the rest of New England Nor is it unusual for the New Hampshire to outpace the region and the nation in economic vitality From 1999 to 2004 New Hampshire’s gross state product – the total output of goods and services produced in the state – rose 33 percent, compared to a New England average of 23 percent and 26 percent nationwide Job growth was up 07 percent for the same period, but flat for the region and only 04 percent for the country From 2004 to 2009, gross state product was slightly behind the region and the country, but the 01 percent decline in job growth was better than the region and even with the nation

Why the good results? Governors and legislators take note: Dennis Delay, economist at the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies in Concord, says it’s because New Hampshire is a moderate cost state in a high cost region Add to that a high standard of living, a relatively healthy and safe area and a population with a high level of educational attainment and you’ve got an economy that outperforms the norm

Using a variety of sources, Delay has compiled an “Economic Scoreboard” showing how New Hampshire ranks in New England and in the US in some key categories that small business and large corporations keep in mind when considering plant and office locations New Hampshire finished first regionally and nationally in state and local tax burden on income, standard of living, most livable state, lowest crime rank, and child and family well-being

Other categories and New Hampshire’s ranking included:

• Education – adults with a high school education or better: fourth nationally, first in the region


• “Healthiest” state: fifth nationally, second in the region


• Per capita income: 10th nationally, third in the region


• Education – adults with a college degree or better: ninth nationally, fourth in the region

 

Encouraging Signs for Staffing In the South

For staffing firms, last year was a strong year compared to 2009 and we expect 2011 to continue the momentum in our mid-Atlantic and southern locations Numerous economic reports offer encouragement, but also highlight the challenges

Georgia

The recession hit Georgia harder than most of the US because of the residential construction and real estate development bubble that developed prior to the downturn Though the construction industry is still in recovery and budget cuts will impact state and local government jobs, Georgia’s growth rate is expected to jump up to 23 percent in 2011, matching growth in the national economy for the first time in seven years

Robert Sumichrast, dean of the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, says the economic sectors likely to experience the most growth are business services, including employment agencies, transportation and warehousing Manufacturing, where employment has fallen sharply in recent years, is also expected to rebound Georgia unemployment is expected to inch down from this year’s rate of 99 percent to 95 percent by the end of 2011

Sumichrast  recently told business and government leaders at the school’s annual Georgia Economic Outlook luncheon that the slow recovery is causing businesses to stay conservative at a time when being more aggressive will pay off

“Too many people are playing it way too safe,” he said “This is a good time to take some calculated risks”

Virginia

Virginia has performed better than the nation during the recession and the recovery, but its stronger numbers are driven by federal defense spending The concern for 2011 is the impact that expected budget cuts could have on the state

Defense spending in Virginia reached $569 billion in fiscal year 2009, according to Stephen Fuller, an economist with George Mason University He estimates that more than 400,000 Virginia jobs are supported by defense spending During the past decade average annual defense spending in Virginia was up 95 percent, but it dropped to 6 percent in fiscal 2008 and only 4 percent in fiscal 2009  Now, with Defense Secretary Gates having talked about a goal of saving $100 billion in defense spending over five years, there’s concern that growth rate could decline even more

Total employment in Virginia is expected to rise by 15 percent in 2011 and 19 percent in 2012 Northern Virginia is forecast to rise 24 percent in total employment in 2011 and 28 percent in total employment in 2012 The Roanoke and Hampton Roads regions will be the laggards, with job growth reaching 03 percent and 02 percent respectively

North Carolina

The Research Triangle region again looks to be the leader in the state’s economy, buoyed by its highly educated workforce and diverse business mix Though the recession took its toll on North Carolina, particularly through declines in financial services and manufacturing in the Charlotte area, the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill region was among the least affected with about a 4 percent drop in jobs at the bottom of the recession

Michael Walden, an economist at North Carolina State University, expects the jobless rate in the Triangle region to be about 7 percent by the end of 2011, the lowest rate among the state’s metropolitan areas With the region’s thriving Research Triangle Industrial Park and major education centers such as Duke University, the University of North Carolina and NC State, Walden told the Durham Herald Sun that the area is “structured in a way that would make it rebound much more rapidly from the recession” than the rest of the state

One concern for the Triangle employment picture is state jobs State government is one of the Triangle's largest employers As legislators attempt to close a projected $37 billion budget deficit this year, there’s a good chance of layoffs Hiring and pay freezes have already been announced, as well as reductions in purchases and travel

“I Resolve To ”

You’re going to lose 10 pounds You swear it You’re going to save more money You’re going to learn how to cook Yup, it’s resolution time Certainly the start of a new year is a good time to assess where you’re at in life, set some goals and go do them In 2010 the economy slowly improved and 2011 promises slightly better Here are some career and business resolutions that might work for you

Do Great Work Have you done the best work of your career yet? You have? Gee, now what? Make this the year you shatter personal records and make every completed project a trophy

Become more valuable No one is irreplaceable, but some people mean more to their employers than others Find a way to become more valued at work and do it

Enhance your skills Make this the year you commit to lifelong learning January is the start of the winter semester at colleges and continuing ed programs Take a course Then take another

Make new business contacts Relationship building is all about spade work Establish trusted connects before you need them and so you can help others in the future Join a professional organization Attend work-related seminars Open yourself to new opportunities

Start Personal Review Days Circle one-day on your calendar each quarter when you can spend a few hours alone to assess your situation Find a coffee shop, a library, a park bench Anyplace where you’ll be able to think undisturbed