Merck announces job cuts, while two studies reveals metro areas of the country
as more recession-proof than others.
As the NJ-based drug company announced it will reduce its U.S. sales force by 1,200
positions by the end of July, two studies examining different employment data produce
lists of potentially recession-proof metro areas.
In one study, reported in a story by the Associated Press, Jobbait.com's president Mark Hovind
analyzed data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics from the recessions of 1990 and 2001. Based on the
results in which areas jobs outpaced the workforce, he predicted these same areas would do well now.
Among the areas making his list were Prescott, AZ.; Fayetteville, AK; Bakersfield, CA; Redding, CA;
Grand Junction, CO; Valdosta, GA; Lake Charles, LA; Billings, MT; Farmington, NM; Bend, OR; State Park, PA;
Laredo, TX; Odessa, TX; Tyler, TX; St. George, UT; Olympia, WA; Morgantown, WV; and Casper, WY.
In the Forbes study, editors examined the country's 50 largest metropolitan areas and looked at
several key employment-related measures, as supplied by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the
year ending in February 2008 -- to see which areas are most adding or subtracting jobs.
The top 10 recession-proof cities included: San Jose, CA; Charlotte, NC; Raleigh, NC;
Oklahoma City, OK; Austin, TX; Dallas, TX; Houston, TX; San Antonio, TX; Salt Lake City, UT; and Seattle, WA.
