Gallup’s Job Creation Index finds that
in certain locations, workers have positive perceptions of their own states’ hiring
prospects. To develop the Job Creation
Index, Gallup asked those surveyed
whether companies are
hiring or letting employees go. In 2011, 31% of
U.S. workers reported
that their employers were
hiring, and 18% said that
their employers were
laying workers off.
In these eight states,
workers have especially rosy outlooks:
North Dakota has the highest job cre-
ation rate in the country by a huge margin.
More than two in five residents, or 42.4%,
report their employers are hiring—the
largest share among all states.
Iowa with an unemployment rate of
just 5.6%, the sixth-lowest rate in the
country, 34% of state workers report
their businesses are hiring.
Oklahoma’s unemployment rate also is
below the national average, and 34.6% of
Oklahoma residents report their employers are hiring workers.
Utah in the past year has seen one of the
biggest improvements in unemployment.
Between December 2010 and December
2011, the unemployment rate fell by 20%
to just 6%. According to the Gallup’s job
creation survey, 15.4% of Utah workers
report employers are
letting workers go.
Nebraska’s unemploy-
ment rate of 4.1% was
the second-lowest in the
country at the end of
2011, and 32.4% of the
state’s residents say their
companies are hiring.
Nebraskans are among the most optimis-
tic with regard to the state of the national
economy.
Indiana residents surveyed by Gallup
say companies in the state are hiring
again—34% of those polled in Indiana.
West Virginia saw its unemployment
rate dramatically decrease recently. It
dropped by 18.6% from the end of 2010
to the end of 2011, the third-largest
decline in the country.
South Dakota has had one of the
healthiest economies in the U.S. throughout the recession. Unemployment in the
state has been extremely low.
Where Workers See Hiring Increasing
IT Job Seekers Crave a
Personal Touch in the
Job Search
TEKsystems’ quarterly IT Professional
Perspectives Survey of more than 2,000
information technology professionals find
that IT professionals appreciate human
interaction during their job search process.
IT professionals report the No. 1 action
they take when considering a career
change is to reassess their skills, goals,
and interests. The majority of IT professionals (72%) then begin networking with
professional communities and researching
industries with high demand for IT talent.
59% of respondents said
the top resource they confer
with is a recruiter.
Small Business Optimism
Increases
Small-business owner confidence in
January rose for a fifth consecutive month,
according to the National Federation of
Independent Business. Its small-business
optimism index rose 0.1 point to 93.9 in
January from 93.8 in December.
Subindexes covering expectations
improved. The subindex of expected business conditions in the next six months
rose five percentage points to -3% last
month, and the expected higher real sales
subindex increased one point to 10%.
“Owners became less pessimistic about
the outlook for business conditions and
real sales growth,” the NFIB said.
IT professionals primarily look for
clear and realistic views of a job opportunity—91% of respondents say this is are
helpful in attracting them. Additionally,
88% say feedback throughout the hiring
process is valuable, and 68% say that
obtaining feedback throughout the hiring
process is the most difficult challenge
they face when looking for a new job.
When asked who they consult with
most frequently during the job search
process, 59% of respondents said the top
resource they confer with is a recruiter.
According to the survey, IT professionals average 23 recruiting solicitations
per week. If a recruiter’s message includes
detailed information about the job, 88%
of respondents say, they would be likely
to return the recruiter’s call.
When deciding whether to stay in
their current job or consider other opportunities, 81% of IT professionals say their
top consideration is the opportunity to
develop and enhance their skills. The
second condition respondents consider is
the opportunity for career advancement
(76%). The third most-considered condition is compensation (75%). n
