Media Consultant at Cox Media www.coxmedia.com

A variety of agriculture including grains and beans, cattle farming, natural resources and tourism all contribute towards New Mexico’s economy.  Business Facilities magazine published their 2010 Rankings Report, which is an annual overview of the economic landscape as well as locations that are leading the way.  The report looked at a new category the growth potential of a location’s economic development initiative.  New Mexico came in 8^th place under the category ‘Economic Growth Potential.’  New Mexico ranked high in the following categories:

Salary range $96,690.00 – $155,500.00 /year

Texas nearly skirted the 2008-2009 recession, with most new jobs being created in professional fields such as accounting, security services and law. Texas’ economy is diverse and the oil and natural gas industries contributed to the state’s tax base.  In addition it’s low tax burden makes Texas business friendly and appealing for companies to locate their headquarters in the state. In a 2010 survey conducted by the Chief Executive, Texas ranked first as the best places to conduct business.

Texas’ unemployment rate in June 2011 was 8.2 percent, up from 8.0 percent in May. However, on the positive side Texas’ unemployment rate is lower than the nationwide unemployment rate and the state is experiencing a job growth.  According to the Comptrollers Economic Outlook posted on July 29, 2011 at www.texasahead.org, stated “by early summer 2011, 82 percent of the jobs shed by employers during Texas’ shorter recession have already been recovered as our economy recovers more quickly than the U.S. as a whole. Nationally, only 20 percent of recession-hit jobs had been recovered ending 2010.”

Here’s a snapshot of the fastest growing occupations in Texas (source: www.twc.state.tx.us)

Current Job Listings:

Convention & Visitors Bureau Manager at City of Victoria, Victoria TX www.victoriatx.org/hr
Salary $50,000/year

Biomedical Engineer at HCL America, Inc. www.hcltech.com

Personal Trainer at Equinox www.equinox.com

New York’s top industries include the financial sector, insurance, health care and real estate. New York has well over 200 banks which represent every major country and the City leads the country in the number of Fortune 500 and 1000 companies headquartered there, including 8 of the world’s top 10 securities firms.  Tourism and the entertainment/media sectors contribute greatly towards New York’s economy.  According to Wikipedia, “the city is the number-one media market in the United States with 7% of the country’s television-viewing households.”

On July 21, 2011, the State Labor Department reported New York State’s economy gained a total of 13,600 private sector jobs and has recouped just over 50% of the private sector jobs lost during the 2008-2009 recession.  Despite this good news, the state’s unemployment rated increased over the month to 8.0% in June 2011.  Bohdan M. Wynnyk, Chief of Labor Statistics, Division of Research and Statistics notes, “In June 2011, the New York State economy continued its recovery from the effects of the last recession, adding 13,600 private sector jobs. Like the nation as a whole, our state unemployment rate increased over the month, and now stands at 8.0%. However, we remained significantly below the nation’s jobless rate, which increased to 9.2% in June.”

Unemployment Rates*
June 2011*          May 2011     June 2010
United States              9.2                      9.1                  9.5
New York State          8.0                      7.8                 8.6
New York City            8.7                      8.6                 9.5
NYS, outside NYC     7.4                      7.3                  7.9
*Data are preliminary and subject to change based on standard procedures outlined by the USDOL’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highlights among NYS sectors with job gains since June 2010:

• Professional and business services added the most private sector jobs (+38,800) over the past year. Within that sector, job gains were greatest in administrative and support services (+20,500) and professional, scientific and technical services (+14,500).

• Private sector educational and health services (+32,400) registered the second greatest increase in jobs between June 2010 and June 2011. Within that sector, both educational services (+16,500) and health care and social assistance (+15,900) added jobs.

• The third largest over-the-year jobs increase occurred in leisure and hospitality (+17,500). Sector gains were greatest in accommodation and food services (+17,400), especially food services and drinking places (+14,000)

Current Job Listings:

High Frequency Fx Trader at The Haggan-Ricci Group http://www.hrg.net
Salary range $500,000 to $1,000,000

Executive Assistant at The Forum Group www.forumpersonnel.com
Salary range $50,000 to $60,000

Academic Student Support Counselor at Kingsborough Community College  www.kbcc.cuny.edu
Salary range $42,873 – $61,903

The manufacturing and financial sectors contribute greatly to Ohio’s economy, employing a large population of Ohioans. Sherwin Williams, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, and Proctor and Gamble Company are just a few leading manufacturers that are headquartered in Ohio.  While the leading financial corporations include: Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, National City Corporation, Fifth Third Bancorp,The Progressive Corporation, KeyCorp, and Huntington Bancshares Inc., all of which have headquarters located in Ohio.

According to the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services (ODJFS), the unemployment rate remained the same, 8.6% in April and May of this year.  Service-providing industries increased 11,100 over the month to 4,294,800. The most significant gain occurred in educational and health services (+10,600). Other industries gaining jobs included professional and business services (+3,100), leisure and hospitality (+1,000), and trade, transportation, and utilities (+200). Government (-1,800), other services (-1,400), financial activities (-400), and information (-200) experienced over-the-month losses. Goods-producing industries, at 809,400, were up 900 from April. Manufacturing added 3,400 jobs, construction lost 2,500, and mining and logging remained at the April level.

ODJFS 2008-2018 Occupational Trends:

Current Job Listings:

Senior Associate at KPMG www.kpmg.com

Local City Driver at Saia Motor Freight www.sai.com
Salary $18.76- 20.43 per hour. Pay for experience

Administrative Assistant at W&S Life Insurance Company www.westernsouthernlife.com

Alaska’s economy is driven by the Federal government, petroleum, and a third sector that includes seafood, international air cargo, mining, tourism and timber.  The leisure and hospitality industry is showing great promise and growth in Alaska, as well as making a significant impact on the states economy. Examples of occupations in the leisure and hospitality sector consist of the arts, entertainment, food service, recreation, and restaurants. According to Alaska Economic Trends June 2011 edition, “nearly 1 in 10 Alaska jobs or 9.7% of the 323,386 of the total in 2010 were in the leisure and hospitality sector.”

In 2010, the U.S.Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis ranked Alaska in eighth place, with a per capita income of $44,174.  Alaskans do not pay state or income tax.  Citizens also receive an annual distribution of a dividend from the Permanent Fund, which reinforces the state’s economy. As of June 2011, Alaska’s unemployment rate is 7.4%.  Listed below is a snapshot of annual wages in a variety of job sectors in Alaska:

Current Job Listings:

Supervisory Park Ranger at the U.S. Department of the Interior  www.usajobs.gov
Salary range: $58,564.00 – $91,252.00 /year

Assistant Professor of Diesel Technology at the University of Alaska  www.uas.alaska.edu

Baker at DUS – Doyon Universal Services  www.doyon.com

Safety Supervisor at Gold Canyon Mining & Construction www.gcmining.com

Wisconsin’s economy is driven by the manufacturing, healthcare, and agriculture sector. According to the February 7, 2011 issue of CNN Money the top 10 companies to work for in Wisconsin include Johnson Financial Group, Mattel, Robert W. Baird, S.C. Johnson & Son, and Grainger.  Wisconsin’s low corporate income tax furthers its reputation as a business friendly state as well as impacting the economic development.

Weeds by CJ Schmit

Wisconsin’s food processing industry is a diverse sector that includes dairy, fruit, vegetable and meat processing; as well as specialty food products for instance beer and baked goods.  Wisconsin is home to over 1,000 food processing firms, Oscar Meyer, Usinger’s sausage, Tombstone frozen pizza just to name a few. The healthcare and medical device industry are experiencing great growth, specifically with pharmaceutical and biotech jobs. More than 640 bioscience businesses are located in Wisconsin that employ nearly 24,000 private sector jobs. Lastly, dairy holds the top spot for the agricultural industry.  Dairy farming contributes greatly towards Wisconsin’s economic impact. In fact, Wikipedia notes “a quarter of American’s cheese is produced in Wisconsin.”

Further information about the labor economy can be found at http://worknet.wisconsin.gov.  Here’s a snapshot of job potential information for in-demand occupations.

Manufacturing Jobs :  2008 Avg. WI Annual Wage
Inspectors, testers, sorters: $31,530
Sheet Metal Workers: $49,960
Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics:  $44,300

Info-Tech Jobs :   2008 Avg. WI Annual Wage
Computer Systems Analysts:  $66,700
Computer Apps. Software Engineer:  $73,530
Computer & Info Systems Manager:  $98,800

Health Science Jobs :  2008 Avg. WI Annual Wage
Home Health Aides: $21,950
Medical Assistants:  $29,600
Dental Assistants: $32,750

Finance Jobs :  2008 Avg. WI Annual Wage
Wholesale & Manuf. Sales Rep:  $61,930
Claims Adjusters, Examiners:  $52,500
Financial Managers:  $96,800

Current Job Listings:

Mechanical Engineer (Madison, WI) at Think Engergygroup.com http://www.thinkenergygroup.com
Salary/Contract: $52.86 to $58.37/per hour

Claim Adjuster Trainee (Madison, WI) at Progressive www.progressive.com/

Pharmaceutical Sales Rep (Madison, WI) at Takeda www.tpna.com/

Information Technology Manager (Madison, WI) at J.H. Findorff & Son Inc. www.findorff.com