Gallup: Energy states lead in job creation

posted at 4:05 pm on August 19, 2011 by Tina Korbe

Washington D.C. and energy-and-commodity-producing states dominated the best job markets in the first half of 2011, as they did during the same period in 2010, according to Gallup’s Job Creation Index, released today. North Dakota leads the pack, followed closely by the nation’s capital.

In contrast, the finance states of the Northeast and the housing states of the West have the worst job markets in the nation:

Overall, job market conditions improved in 2011, with the Index at +13 nationwide, compared with +7 for all of 2010. And even though eight states that are in the bottom 10 during the first half of 2011 were also in that group during the first half of 2010, the average score of the bottom 10 states improved significantly.

Still, the Index summary sounds a pessimistic note about the future of job markets across the country, citing numerous new obstacles to energy production, starting with the increased economic regulations that followed on the heels of last year’s Gulf oil spill — regulations Gallup chief economist Dennis Jacobe speculates might be the reason Texas and Louisiana — both of which were in the top 10 last year — dropped out of the top 10 this year. Additionally, Jacobe mentions the slowing global economy and likely consequential decrease in the demand for energy as a factor likely to reduce job growth in the last stalwart states.

Global demand might not be in policymakers’ hands, but regulatory obstacles are. Jacobe states bluntly, “One thing the U.S. could do to stimulate job growth going forward would be to place more emphasis on expanding the nation’s energy and commodity sectors.” The House has already passed legislation to ease burdens on energy producers, but those bills have stalled in the Senate. Somehow, though, I strongly suspect President Obama’s September jobs speech won’t include an exhortation to the Senate to pass such sensible legislation. If the president mentions energy production at all, it will probably be in the context of lamenting tax breaks for “oil company executives.”

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As someone pointed out yesterday (at Ace, I think) California could be in the job creation list if it chose.

Y-not on August 19, 2011 at 4:07 PM

If the president mentions energy production at all, it will probably be in the context of lamenting tax breaks for “oil company executives.”

same old song n’ dance….

ted c on August 19, 2011 at 4:08 PM

D.C. is second in job creation.

*puke*

Bishop on August 19, 2011 at 4:08 PM

California unemployment rises in July to 12%
California’s unemployment rate climbs two-tenths of a percentage point in July, the U.S. Department of Labor says, to 12%. The state has the second-highest jobless rate in the nation, exceeded only by Nevada at 12.9%.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-caljobs-july-20110820,0,619654.story

ted c on August 19, 2011 at 4:10 PM

starting with the increased economic regulations that followed on the heels of last year’s Gulf oil spill — regulations Gallup chief economist Dennis Jacobe speculates might be the reason Texas and Louisiana — both of which were in the top 10 last year — dropped out of the top 10 this year.

No shiat.

It’s a great job in LA to work on the offshore rigs and many of the coastal communities get a lot of business from people supplying stuff to the rigs, be it food, transportation, or something else.

Eliminating new wells has severely cut down on business for a lot of those communities as a result.

teke184 on August 19, 2011 at 4:11 PM

If California had Texas Government, it would be the economic epi-center of the world.

jp on August 19, 2011 at 4:14 PM

Speaking of which, this article would make a great anecdotal addition to the post:

Left for Extinct, a Steel Plant Rises in Ohio .

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio—On the edge of the Mahoning River, where once stood dozens of blast furnaces, more than 400 workers are constructing what long has been considered unthinkable: a new $650 million steel plant.

When complete, it will stand 10 stories tall, occupy one million square feet and make a half million tons of seamless steel tubes used in “fracking” or drilling for natural gas in shale basins.

DJ Rick on August 19, 2011 at 4:16 PM

I happen to be working on the project as a sub, and needless to say the people of Youngstown are EXTREMELY pleased.

DJ Rick on August 19, 2011 at 4:17 PM

Dallas CEO and President of the Dallas Fed just gave a smack down in his speech separating fact from fiction on Texas jobs. This paragraph said it all:

The Dallas Fed will provide ongoing updates to counteract inaccurate information: “The Dallas Fed will henceforth be providing monthly updates on employment in Texas through our website at http://www.dallasfed.org. We hope it will be a useful tool for everyone ranging from columnists who write for the New York Times to the pundits who provide commentary for Fox News, as well as serious economists.”

The full speech for Fisher is at http://www.dallasfed.org/news/speeches/fisher/2011/fs110817.cfm

PhiKapMom on August 19, 2011 at 4:19 PM

DJ Rick on August 19, 2011 at 4:16 PM

As as soon as the plant is completed, the EPA will suddenly discover an endangered weed growing nearby, declare it in danger of extinction from the factory noise, and shut the entire place down.

Bishop on August 19, 2011 at 4:20 PM

Interesting that AOL came up with a different list:

http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2011/07/26/ten-states-that-added-the-most-jobs-in-the-first-half-of-2011/

That one had Wisconsin placing 9th.

Zaggs on August 19, 2011 at 4:22 PM

If the president mentions energy production at all, it will probably be in the context of lamenting tax breaks for “oil company executives.”

and how we need to “invest” more in green energy.

VibrioCocci on August 19, 2011 at 4:24 PM

The high price of oil has not been all that bad for everyone. In fact in Oklahoma the unemployment rate is only 5.3%.

Terrye on August 19, 2011 at 4:25 PM

I am surprised that Texas is not on the list of top 10 job creators. They have a lot of oil too.

Terrye on August 19, 2011 at 4:26 PM

New York too is doing all they can to shut down energy sector jobs: New York, Pennsylvania Take Different Approaches to Shale Gas

Politicians wringing their hands over how to create more jobs might study the shale boom along the New York and Pennsylvania border. It’s a case study in one state embracing economic opportunity, while the other has let environmental politics trump development.

slickwillie2001 on August 19, 2011 at 4:29 PM

Nebraska’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.1% .

Thigs are goin fairly well here but I hardly call it a recovery still. I still efer to my economic situation as teh “Ramen Recovery”. I’m getting by, eating a lot more ramen noodles than i’d like.

Yakko77 on August 19, 2011 at 4:35 PM

WoooHooooooooooooooo!!

Kalifornia’s unemployment rate now stands at 12%

Great job Democrats!

GarandFan on August 19, 2011 at 4:40 PM

So I was curious why Gallup was putting these numbers out and got wondering what the “index” they’re ranking is.

Here it is folks:

These results are based on aggregated data from nearly 100,000 interviews with employed adults during the first half of 2011, conducted as part of Gallup Daily tracking. Gallup asks those who are employed whether their companies are hiring workers and expanding the size of their labor forces, not changing the size of their workforces, or laying off workers and reducing their workforces. The figures reported here represent the net difference between the percentage reporting an expansion and the percentage reporting a reduction in their workforces.

So it’s useless. Utterly useless.

Why report this type of soft number when you can have hard data from BLS or even moderately hard data from CEOs?

Y-not on August 19, 2011 at 4:44 PM

As someone pointed out yesterday (at Ace, I think) California could be in the job creation list if it chose.

Y-not on August 19, 2011 at 4:07 PM

Ezzackly. California actively deflects productive business. Taxes and generic regulation are a factor, of course, but the state literally outlaws — or allows to be effectively outlawed — the energy production it could be earning billions from.

Memo to The Other 49: don’t bail California out.

J.E. Dyer on August 19, 2011 at 4:46 PM

Heck, even this is harder data than the Gallup survey:
Texas in top ten for corporate relocations

Y-not on August 19, 2011 at 4:49 PM

If California had Texas Government, it would be the economic epi-center of the world.

jp on August 19, 2011 at 4:14 PM

They’re probably just hoping for another gold rush.

OMG, could you imagine? The EPA and the eco-terrorists would never allow it.

Dr. ZhivBlago on August 19, 2011 at 5:03 PM

slickwillie2001 on August 19, 2011 at 4:29 PM

The Republican sweep in PA also led to the repeal of the ridiculous Democrat requirement that new houses have $10,000 sprinkler systems installed in them. Those idiots passed that mandate in the middle of the housing collapse – unbelievable. Probably one reason why they’re out of office.

This shift in focus to over-regulation is pretty exciting. Tearing down barriers to development, private property rights and freedom in general will work, and it’s a political winner.

Every bright spot in the economy is occurring in spite of Obummer and the Democrats’ best efforts to destroy it.

forest on August 19, 2011 at 5:07 PM

If California had Texas Government, it would be the economic epi-center of the world.

jp on August 19, 2011 at 4:14 PM

The problem is California is filled with Californians & not Texans.

tetriskid on August 19, 2011 at 5:22 PM

If California had Texas Government, it would be the economic epi-center of the world.

jp on August 19, 2011 at 4:14 PM

Not only does California not exploit its fossil fuel resources, it goes out of its way to see that we don’t use the fuel produced elsewhere. It’s “green” mandates touch every industry, business and household in the state.

Our pols envision us as the green economic epi-center of the world, the world’s leader in green energy and technology development. Of course, the enviros keep getting hoisted on their own petard. Yes, they want solar panel farms, lots of solar panel farms, but don’t but them in the logical places, our extensive deserts. Might disturb the desert tortoises. Hydro-power? Absolutely. But don’t you dare build any dams and while we’re on the subject, why don’t we breach a few?

And so it goes.

SukieTawdry on August 19, 2011 at 5:23 PM

If California had Texas Government, it would be the economic epi-center of the world.

jp on August 19, 2011 at 4:14 PM

Funny, isn’t California already one of the largest economies in the world?

bayam on August 19, 2011 at 5:26 PM

Why report this type of soft number when you can have hard data from BLS or even moderately hard data from CEOs?

Y-not on August 19, 2011 at 4:44 PM

Dunno. As you say, the index itself is worthless, based entirely on subjective impression.

a capella on August 19, 2011 at 5:49 PM

There’s Georgia. Woot woot.

RDE2010 on August 19, 2011 at 5:50 PM

I am surprised that Texas is not on the list of top 10 job creators. They have a lot of oil too.

Most of that oil is offshore, which means it may as well not exist as long as an Obama apparatchik rules the EPA.

Fabozz on August 19, 2011 at 5:59 PM

Funny, isn’t California already one of the largest FAILED economies in the world?

bayam on August 19, 2011 at 5:26 PM

FIFY

Tim Zank on August 19, 2011 at 6:15 PM

Tim Zank ~

BINGO! I used to vacation in California for years but no more. I now call Florida home. Since I’m not a surfer, I have everything I want in the Sunshine State – plus CC laws as a fringe benefit. :)

honsy on August 19, 2011 at 6:38 PM

I wonder if Texas could buy California when it goes bankrupt. Place their energy and environmental laws into effect and what boon that would be for the economy.

/good Merlot tonight

barnone on August 19, 2011 at 6:42 PM

hmmm form the graph it looks like TX just had avg job creation but AK had above avg job creation.

unseen on August 19, 2011 at 7:55 PM

Well so much for the Perry talking point about jobs.

Tx not even in the top 10. shameful

unseen on August 19, 2011 at 7:57 PM

Tx not even in the top 10. shameful

unseen

I take anything from Gallup with a full tablespoon of salt. Their “polls” are nowhere near as reliable as Rasmussen.

honsy on August 19, 2011 at 8:20 PM

I take anything from Gallup with a full tablespoon of salt

Yea, despite WV ranking #3 on this list, their unemployment rate is still at 8.6%. Not exactly stellar. Maybe it’s one of those
“lagging indicator” kind of things.

humdinger on August 19, 2011 at 9:22 PM

Nebraska’s 4.1% unemployment can also be credited to mandatory e-verify and a balanced state budget requirement.

JetBlast on August 20, 2011 at 10:38 AM

If California had Texas Government, it would be the economic epi-center of the world.

jp on August 19, 2011 at 4:14 PM

Funny, isn’t California already one of the largest economies in the world?

bayam on August 19, 2011 at 5:26 PM

You mean California, the state that is so in debt, and running every feasible business out of the state by their policies? That California? Yeah.. by leftist math you think it is doing just fine.

Noelie on August 20, 2011 at 8:42 PM