[RNcyanide]

Originally Posted by geog-fanatic

A better source would be indeed.com, as it pulls from all the known job search engines (including Monster) and specific company websites.

A general search by city only:
Omaha - 4, 919 jobs
Des Moines - 4, 473 jobs
Cedar Rapids - 2, 284 jobs

A search using "degree" as required keyword:
Omaha - 2, 072 jobs
Des Moines - 1, 748 jobs
Cedar Rapids - 941 jobs

Well done!

[atler8]

Geog
Hello there from my day time location over in Midtown.
Thanks for providing the indeed.com info. I never would have found that site on my own.
I can't wait to look it over in my free time.

[geog-fanatic]

Originally Posted by atler8

Geog
Hello there from my day time location over in Midtown.
Thanks for providing the indeed.com info. I never would have found that site on my own.
I can't wait to look it over in my free time.

You're welcome
A lot of employers today no longer use the standard job search tools to post their openings. Strictly relying on one search engine like Monster or Career Builder will cause you to miss some key open positions. Indeed is great because it aggregates everything together and saves you lots of time!

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by Bosco55David

Do we have any hard data on birth rates and out-migration?



Considering jobs are pretty plentiful in Omaha, safe to assume that is not happening much, right?

Only 5 other states have a higher percentage population under age 18 and Omaha job growth has to keep up at a faster rate just to match the new arrivals entering the labor market due to the way the demographics are structured. The recent data from 2010-2011 shows a net decrease in employment in the core of metro Omaha, Douglas County.
Those states ARE: Alaska, Idaho, Utah, Texas, and Kansas.

[ARPARP]

Examining the economic data the following ten things seem to explain Omaha's low unemployment rate and "recession proof" status.

1. Economic diversification. One major sector does not dominate the economy. It seems Omaha is one of the most diversified large metro areas in the USA. The regions of the USA most prone to boom-bust cycles notably are the manufacturing regions of the Great Lakes and tourism/real estate based economies like Nevada and Florida.

2. It is located within a major agricultural region, so the fact that the rest of the states around it have an industry always in demand brings up the major non-agricultural cities in the region.

3. It is home to a much larger than average amount of major corporations for its size, plus Warren Buffett and a lot of the wealth he has generated. This concentration of wealth puts money back into the community. Plus the corporations there are Union Pacific, Berkshire, ConAgra and Pieter Kiewit, these seem to be mostly "recession proof" industries.

4. The high birth rate helps. The population is being replenished constantly and expanding, this creates demand for goods and services.

5. Huge amounts of undeveloped land means housing is never going to explode through the roof. Finally Nebraska, like it or not, is not the most exciting state so you will never see a speculative rush like you will in the Sun Belt.

6. Nebraska and Omaha itself is slightly above average on education statistics. This creates white collar jobs, and in turn there are less people competing for the blue collar jobs like manufacturing etc. which tend to be more cyclical.

7. Midwestern work ethic and culture of financial conservatism, versus the people who live high on the hog on cheap credit in places like CA and FL.

8. It has an excellent logistical location along I-80 near the center of the USA, halfway between Chicago and Denver.

9. The state of Nebraska is generally considered to be a pro-business state and a friendly regulatory environment, attracting business.

10. It seems like to some extent people in Omaha know what they have and are not taking it for granted. Detroit took the auto industry for granted and paid for it. Florida and Nevada took cheap credit for granted and lost. It seems Omaha is looking out on the rest of the USA and from what I read they are doing what it takes to avoid becoming another city resting on its laurels and squandering prosperity.

So there are a lot of factors that make Omaha the way it is.

The one thing dragging Texas down even though it is number one in job creation is its large number of people without high school education. I suspect Texas would be almost as low on unemployment as Nebraska if it were not for 10% more without a HS degree.

[MarieBr]

I moved to Omaha from Eugene Oregon ten years ago and love it. The men overall have manners (open doors etc) the people are courteous... The road navigation is EASY (not sure how anyone could find the grid setup hard) and I love the variety in weather... Clean... Just big enough but not too big... Three hour flight from either coast. Negative? Not much too see within easy driving.

[caliguy92832]

Omaha ain't nothing compared to Williston, ND.

Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

[JoMiWi]

One other factor that no one has mentioned directly as to why Omaha is recession proof: There is not much durable goods manufacturing there. A lot of low/moderate paying white collar jobs (and some high paying ones) and food processing and ag industry. When the national economy goes in the tank, people stop buying durable goods like cars and appliances. Not much of that type of manufacturing in the Omaha area. People still eat food and carry insurance.

JMO, but Omaha grows steadily because they have a decent pool of fairly well educated people to draw from in the surrounding rural area, where there are very few prospects for employment. Corporate jobs draw employees from further away, but those people go wherever the job takes them. Low cost of living means compensation doesn't have to be huge.

[RPreskop]

Omaha is booming with a growing central city and metro population and a strong economy because it is not overtaxed like most older northern cities. It also didn't make the fatal mistake of allowing longtime monolithic rule of the Democratic Party like older cities like Chicago, St Louis, Detroit, Buffalo all did during the past 50+years. The city is elastic because it can expand its corporate limits and annex newly developed areas thus strengthening the city's tax base and keeping its budget in the black. The city's downtown core appears to be prospering with a lot of major corporations headquartered and a lot of smaller businesses. When I visited that city long ago cruising along US Route 6 (Dodge St, Douglas St.) the overwhelming majority of the central city appeared very clean, well kept and very well managed. There wasn't the typical ring of decayed, distressed neighborhoods surrounding the downtown area. The bad areas were obviously kept off the beaten path in Omaha. It is almost the complete opposite in St Louis, Chicago, Detroit, and Buffalo.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by RPreskop

Omaha is booming with a growing central city and metro population and a strong economy because it is not overtaxed like most older northern cities. It also didn't make the fatal mistake of allowing longtime monolithic rule of the Democratic Party like older cities like Chicago, St Louis, Detroit, Buffalo all did during the past 50+years. The city is elastic because it can expand its corporate limits and annex newly developed areas thus strengthening the city's tax base and keeping its budget in the black. The city's downtown core appears to be prospering with a lot of major corporations headquartered and a lot of smaller businesses. When I visited that city long ago cruising along US Route 6 (Dodge St, Douglas St.) the overwhelming majority of the central city appeared very clean, well kept and very well managed. There wasn't the typical ring of decayed, distressed neighborhoods surrounding the downtown area. The bad areas were obviously kept off the beaten path in Omaha. It is almost the complete opposite in St Louis, Chicago, Detroit, and Buffalo.

Minneapolis is a Democratic city, and it isn't known for having high unemployment rates like Buffalo, St. Louis, and Detroit are.

Something else. Omaha does have a low unemployment rate. And yes, it is conservative compared to most cities. However, there are still some severe economic and social disparities in Omaha.