Some states enjoying low unemployment

As Dan Dorfschmidt talks over the phone about what's been going on in his home state of North Dakota during the past three or four years, you can almost see him shaking his head, like the proverbial farmer in the old sci-fi movie who watches the UFO land in his corn field with his very own eyes but still can't believe the darn thing is there.

"People don't understand (the oil boom) until they come to see it. Even people within our same organization. They look at what's going on and it's just crazy," he said.

Dorfschmidt is an operations manager for Butler Machinery Co., which has been supplying and maintaining heavy equipment for companies that have been flocking to the western reaches of the state so they can drill down into its oil-rich shale. Business has been so good his service crews are on mandatory 60-hour weeks and, as of late, workers who recommend a prospective employee who is eventually hired get a check for $1,000.

"I would hire 50 people tomorrow if I could find them," Dorfschmidt said.

Across the country every state has a story to tell about how it is faring during a recession that has hit nearly every industry -- from financial to manufacturing to tourism. But while most of the attention seems focused on the states that are struggling, there are other regions of the country weathering the storm pretty well.

It can go from an anomaly such as North Dakota and its record-breaking oil boom, to the steady economies in places such as Texas, Nebraska and Iowa which are churning along with unemployment rates below the national average and a resilient mix of industry.

In fact, as the country inches toward recovery, more job opportunities seem to be opening up. It's just a matter of where, and how, you look.

Allison Nawoj, corporate communications manager for the jobs website CareerBuilder.com, notes that employers are more optimistic right now which is apparent in the number of jobs being posted on the company's website. There has been an increase of about 10 percent over the past year, and the company's most recent quarterly jobs study is showing some of the most promising numbers since the beginning of the recession.

"The most recent forecast we did ... had the best results we've seen in three years in terms of the amount of employees employers were going to add this quarter, and we also saw some positive signs in the yearly forecast that we did back in January as well," Nawoj said.

"I think that's important for people to keep in mind, that it has been really challenging and will continue to be, but things are improving," she added.

While the government's month-to-month statistics are a study in ebb and flow, looking at things in the long-term does reveal an uptick. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national unemployment rate was at 9.1 percent in May, compared to 9.6 percent the same month in 2010, and 10.1 near the recession's peak in October of 2009.

Whittle it down state by state and in April of 2011 there were 32 states with an unemployment rate below the national average, with the top 10 at 6.1 percent or below. Ranked No. 1 was North Dakota at 3.3 percent; followed by Nebraska, 4.2; New Hampshire, 4.9; South Dakota, 4.9; Vermont, 5.3; Oklahoma, 5.6; Iowa and Wyoming, 6.0; Hawaii and Virginia, 6.1.

Beyond the statistics, however, is there something that all these states have in common in terms of being able to withstand the ripple effects of the recession better than others? In times such as these, that can be overreaching -- to say the least, according to Carl Van Horn, director of the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University.

This particular recession has been extremely widespread and has hit every sector in some way or another. The effects depend on the goods and services a state produces -- look at the auto industry in Detroit and how it suffered, the financial-services sector in the Northeast, he notes. It also can depend on the size of a state's work force even before the recession got under way, and the makeup of economies within particular cities. One area of a state may be doing quite well, while another is taking a much harder hit, Van Horn said.

"I think there's not a single explanation, it really is situational. ... It's not like you can point to something and say this is why," he said.

There is, however, one basic rule of thumb that can make a difference: diversification, Van Horn said. Those states that have a range of industry tend to recover more easily in a recession.

Take a look at Nebraska. The state has had either the second- or third-lowest unemployment rate in the nation since the recession began, and even before that it was hovering around 2.3 percent, according to Catherine Lang, commissioner of labor for the Nebraska Department of Labor.

"Our rate is still almost double what we're normally used to, so if you were talking to a state whose normal rate was five and they're at 10, I mean it still feels the same to us, but, yes, we are in a very good position in terms of our state's economy and business growth."

The state not only has a strong agricultural industry but also does well in manufacturing, transportation such as trucking and railways, is the headquarters for various insurance companies, and benefits from its universities and Offutt Air Force Base.

Lang also notes that Nebraska's businesses and residents didn't take the same financial risks that were seen in other parts of the country prior to the recession, and the state was not in the midst of a population boom so it didn't have as far to fall in terms of job losses.

When it comes to specific cities, Nawoj notes that a lot of the college towns are also doing well because, once again, the local economy is more diverse than most.

"They have a lot of highly educated people in them and they also have different types of workplaces, so a great example of that ... is something like Minneapolis, Minn., Austin, Texas, Hartford, Conn., all these different areas," she said. "Washington, D.C., has shown growth not only because of its diverse economy and the colleges that are there, but also because of the federal job growth."

For those who have been laid off and are looking for work in other parts of the country, it's just this kind of steady-as-you-go atmosphere that may be the answer. Sperling's BestPlaces, a research firm in Portland, Ore., which narrows down the most attractive places in the country to live, has been putting the quality of resiliency at the forefront of much of its research these days as a way to acknowledge the needs of a recession-weary populace.

Last October it released a list pointing out the 10 best places to relocate to and posted it on the company's website. While they are not the sexiest cities or the kinds of places that experience big booms, they are well-established and consistent in terms of cost of living, employment rates and population growth, with the added bonus of lower crime rates and a rising cultural scene, according to Bert Sperling, president of BestPlaces.

On the list are Pittsburgh, Pa.; Buffalo/Niagara Falls, N.Y.; Omaha, Neb./Council Bluffs, Iowa; Fort Worth/Arlington, Texas; Austin/Round Rock, Texas; Des Moines/West Des Moines, Iowa; Madison, Wis.; Minneapolis/St. Paul/Bloomington, Minn.; Denver/Aurora, Colo.; and Indianapolis/Carmel, Ind.

"So we're finding now, the places that seem to do best, they have the least amount of baggage to sort of get over, are the ones that have been sort of boring places, if you will, ones that have been out of the limelight. ... They're sort of best prepared to take off for the future because they don't have as much to overcome," Sperling said.

He notes that there are certain red flags to look for in a state, such as high unemployment, which can have a ripple effect when it comes to everything from the quality of the school systems to the amount of local government funds available to maintain roads and police and fire services.

A state that is losing a lot of its population should also be looked at carefully, and cost of living can be vital. A new job with a 25 percent boost in pay may sound enticing, but if you're moving to a Manhattan or Silicon Valley in Northern California, that 25 percent will have to make up for expenses such as housing and transportation, he said.

On the flip side, for those willing to take some risks, there are some unique opportunities out there. Younger workers, for example, may have a better chance establishing their careers in large metropolitan areas where the cost of living can be high. Without a family to support, they are more likely to shrug off living three or four to an apartment and using public transportation, Sperling said. They may want to take a look at places such as Washington, D.C., even New York City.

There are also housing opportunities in some of the areas that have been hit the hardest by the recession, Sperling notes.

"Things are affordable in the wake of the foreclosure crisis. There are places that can be bought very inexpensively if they're willing to take the chance. It's almost like, well, I call it, 'urban homesteading.' "

He has even heard of some cities that will wave the cost of what was once an abandoned residence if someone is willing to invest in it and make it a home.

Of course, understanding not only the "where," but the "what," is important too.

Nawoj notes, for example, that the health care industry has shown consistent growth throughout the recession and shows no signs of letting up due to the needs of the aging baby boomer population.

"Not only is it nurses and physical therapists, radiology technicians, home health aides, those types of positions, but also, on the nonclinical side, you're seeing people trying to find the right talent for accounting and finance jobs, office managers, IT staffs that help manage that digital component of how records are being digitalized and things like that," she said.

Other areas of growth right now are in sales and marketing as companies feel more confident about spending money in those sectors as a way to increase business, as well as technology, an industry that is making a comeback with more openings for positions such as net developers and database administrators, Nawoj said.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' latest Employment Situation Survey, gains also have been recently seen in business and professional services with notable upticks in accounting and bookkeeping, for example. There also have been increases in retail trade and waste management and remediation services.

The bureau's Occupational Outlook for the years 2008-2018, a study released in 2009, also sheds some light on the future. Areas that are expected to grow over the next several years include health care; professional, scientific and technical services including specific occupations such as computer systems design and scientific and technical consulting; education services due to rising student enrollment; accommodation and food services; government; and retail trade.

In the end, the "best of" lists and all the statistics are a starting point. The ideal community, recession or not, is up to the individual, Sperling notes.

"There are dozens of communities all around that have their own flavor, one of which might be perfect. But you're gonna have to do some research," he said.

Nawoj points out that it's also important for the job seeker to understand what they, themselves, bring to the table.

"Regardless of where you're looking, you've got to take the numbers with a grain of salt, too, because just because an area's adding jobs it doesn't necessarily mean that it's going to be the best area for you to go to. So the most important thing to think about is your background, your skills, if you can transfer those skills into what areas and where your strengths are."