It Could Be Worse

The DC Metro area and the Baltimore metro were ranked among the top five metro areas in the US for job growth in 2010 according to this story in The Economist which also points out that “America’s recovery is officially longer-lived than the recession that preceded it.”

It’s also better for some than others, particularly those with a degree.

“Why have the rich got richer? Partly because fewer college-educated workers lost their jobs during the recession, so lower unemployment rates in some cities simply reflect a brainier citizenry. But Ed Glaeser, an economist, argues that clusters of clever workers themselves enhance productivity. Such clusters give firms a useful advantage in a productivity-obsessed, cost-conscious world. And in tighter labour markets, firms are more eager to snap up talent while they can.”

The worst metro area for job growth last year was Las Vegas leading me to conclude that it is fortuitous that what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.