Some people know Orlando as being home to more than a dozen theme parks, including the ever-popular Walt Disney World. The more sports-minded among us might know Orlando as the City that lost Shaquille O’Neal to the Lakers in 1996. But, at least for 2015, Orlando has another badge it can pin to its chest; Orlando had the highest net job creation out of all the nation’s 50 largest metro areas, according to Gallup.
Gallup’s Job Creation Index scores are based on the percentage of workers in each metro area who said their employer is hiring workers and expanding the size of its workforce minus those who say their workplace is letting workers go. The Orlando area finished the year with a Job Creation Index score of +45. A major force behind Orlando’s strong job growth came from its hospitality and leisure sector, which is the greatest source of jobs in the area.
Salt Lake City, Utah; Austin, Texas; Louisville, Ky.; and San Francisco, Calif. rounded out the top five with scores of +43, +41, +40, and +40 respectively.
Hartford, Conn., on the other hand lagged behind the rest of the country in 2015, with a score of +21, the lowest score of the 50 largest metro areas. Providence, R.I. didn’t fare much better with a score of +22. Oklahoma City, Okla.; New York City; and New Orleans, La. round out the bottom five.
Nationwide, 42 percent of workers reported an increase in jobs at their current employer while 12 percent reported a decrease, giving the U.S. a Job Creation Index score of +30. All but eight of the 50 largest metros saw scores higher than what they were in 2014, with Las Vegas showing the greatest improvement, moving from +21 in 2014 to +35 in 2015.
