Forbes Magazine Names West Des Moines No. 1 City for Jobs

West Des Moines tied with Milwaukee in Forbes magazine’s national ranking of the best cities for jobs in the United States this summer.

West Des Moines’ ranking, based on a survey by ManpowerGroup, is one of the bright spots in overall dismal jobs outlook, as the nation’s unemployment rate grew from 8.1 percent to 8.2 percent in May, and only 69,000 new jobs were added.

Employers in West Des Moines anticipate an upswing in hiring for the next quarter, with nearly one third of employers in the metro area reporting they’ll add jobs. Sixty-four percent don’t plan to change their staffing levels and 2 percent said they weren’t sure of their hiring plans. Three percent had a bleak overall impression of the jobs picture.

“In recent months we have seen an increase in opportunities for job seekers in our area,” Chris Voggesser, West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce president, told Forbes. “This includes opportunities for recent college graduates, veterans returning to the workforce and the underemployed.  Most of our employers feel the economy is turning around and offering them more opportunity to acquire market share within their industry resulting in the need to grow their workforce.”

Sectors that are doing well in West Des Moines, home to big employers like Wells Fargo, Aviva, Hy-Vee and a full complement of medical services, are Information Technology, finance, insurance and healthcare, Voggesser said.

“We are very excited about the opportunities that are before us in the West Des Moines-Des Moines market for the remainder of 2012 and 2013,” he said. “We have seen a steady increase in growth throughout 2012 and we continue to work with our existing and new industries positioned for growth in the third quarter.”

Here are the Top 10: