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November Saw More Job Openings in Miami

Despite maintaining a high level of unemployment, there were still plenty of job openings in Miami last November.

That month, the Miami area's unemployment rate dropped to 13 percent after remaining at 13.1 percent for two consecutive months. Unfortunately, that rate is still much higher than the national average of 9.8 percent.

However, the area still continued adding jobs during November, going from 979,500 workers during October to 987,100 workers during November. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, this is a .5 percent increase in employment when compared to 2009.

The trade, transportation, and utilities industry accounted for the majority of the area's monthly employment gain, adding 3,900 jobs to its workforce. That was followed by the government's addition of 1,800 workers.

Four other industries also saw a monthly increase in employment, including: education and health services by 900 jobs; leisure and hospitality by 800 jobs; other services by 500 jobs; and information by 100 jobs.

Employment in the mining and logging industry remained even over the month and year with 300 jobs. All other industries lost jobs during November.

Only three industries managed to see a yearly increase in employment. The leisure and hospitality industry experienced the biggest growth, increasing by 3.3 percent, for a current total of 105,300 workers.

That was followed by the education and health services industry, which grew by 2.8 percent to 164,100 jobs, and the trade, transportation, and utilities industry, which increased by 2.4 percent to 250,500 workers.

Industries that saw an over-the-year decrease in employment include:

• Construction by 7 percent to 31,800 jobs
• Manufacturing by 5.3 percent to 34,000 jobs
• Information by 5.2 percent to 16,500 jobs
• Financial activities by 3.2 percent to 61,100 jobs
• Professional and business services by .5 percent to 130,000 jobs
• Other services by .5 percent to 39,000 jobs
• Government by .5 percent to 154,500 jobs

Miami Nursing Jobs Prep at New Magnet School

Local students will soon have a new option when it comes to preparing for Miami nursing jobs (Click here).

The Miami-Dade School District will open the Medical Academy for Science and Technology later this month. The Homestead-based healthcare magnet school will help students prepare for future careers in the medical industry.

Students attending the magnet school will have the chance to take specialized classes in medical-related subjects, such as anatomy, physical therapy, and nursing. They also will learn how healthcare and medicine fit into normal classes, such as math and language arts.

For the upcoming school year, the Medical Academy will offer programs in pharmaceutical science and physical therapy, and plans to offer a biomedical program during the 2011-2012 school year.

There are currently 150 ninth-grade students signed up to attend the school and some openings are still available. Any student from Miami-Dade County is eligible to apply to the school

"It's a school that's going to provide a challenging curriculum that emphasizes critical thinking,'' Millie Fornell, associate superintendent of curriculum and instruction for the Miami-Dade district, told The Miami Herald. "For example, math would include statistical analysis and interpretation of data. "Language arts will include the process of research and technical writing.''

The Miami-Dade school district also will open the International Studies Preparatory Academy this year, which will offer world language programs and courses with an international focus. The school will focus on business and government in a technology-rich environment.

Job Openings in Miami Among the Worst

Anyone looking for job openings in Miami most likely did not have a lot of luck last month.

A recent report from CareerCast.com and JobSerf ranked Miami among the 10 worst cities for job seekers during November. The report, which was based on an index measuring U.S. managerial recruitment activity, named Miami as the fifth-worst city, down from it's place as the fourth-worst city during October.

This is not surprising, given that the city saw an increase in unemployment and a decrease in yearly employment during October, despite seeing a small monthly employment gain.

During October, the Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall area saw its unemployment rate increase from 11.4 percent to 11.8 percent, following a decrease from 11.8 percent during September. The area's current rate is higher than the national unemployment rate of 10.2 percent.

The area had a total non-farm employment of 1,011,400 workers during October, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 1,010,200 workers during September, but a 2.8 percent decrease from last year.

In the report, Riverside, Calif., was named as the worst city for job seekers during November, followed by Detroit, Mich.; Memphis, Tenn.; and Tampa Bay, Fla. On the other end of the scale, Washington, D.C., was named as the best place for job seekers, followed by Boston, Mass.; San Francisco, Calif.; Seattle, Wash.; and Atlanta, Ga.

Overall, the national volume of managerial openings online increased by 5.9 points to 73.7. That means there was some positive job growth following two months of declines.

The index is figured by calculating scores against 2007, in which the number of job listings available online during each month equals 100 points. That means a score of less than 100 points indicates the number of job listings for the month is less than during the same month in 2007.