Megan Cloherty, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – The D.C. Metro area is the best place to find a job nationwide. Baltimore also lands in the top ten, according to the findings of a new study.
The cities were rated based on fullest employment, job growth and demand, cost of living, diversity and other factors by human resources firm Adecco Staffing U.S.
Austin and Ithaca, NY round out the top three, reports Forbes.com. The rankings were based on considerations like the diversity of industries in the city, the cost of living, the range in sizes of companies hiring and a high level of education among residents.
The unemployment rate in the metro was 5.5 percent as of March. In the past year, unemployment in the nation’s capital dropped by .3 percent, indicating that the job market is improving.
“Washington, D.C. and Arlington both have a large population of degreed individuals which matches the skill sets that are seeing the most demand right now; business and professional services, engineering and healthcare,” Bob Kovalsky, a senior vice president of Adecco Staffing told Forbes. “Additionally, the proximity to Washington, D.C. means a large number of organizations have local ties or offices in the area, regardless of industry.”
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia also offer strong school systems, consistent mass transit and a number of colleges that pushed it to the top of the list.
The top three cities share other attributes. All three have a number of colleges and universities nearby and are seeing growth in the technology and biotech sectors.
“With all these cities having unemployment rates below the national average, it certainly shows that a job seeker doesn’t need to live in one of the United State’s top large cities to find job opportunities,” says Janette Marx, a senior vice president at Adecco Staffing.
Finishing off the top ten: Boston, Mass., Portland, Maine, Dallas, Nashville, Tenn., Columbus, Ohio, Balitmore, Md., and Pittsburg, Penn.
Follow WTOP on Twitter.
(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
