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American Morning

Minding Your Business: Best, Worst Places to Work

Aired May 14, 2003 - 07:44   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Here is a story that may be some inspiration. If you love your job or hate your job. Either way, Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business."
Maybe some guidance.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Good morning.

SERWER: Yes, definitely some guidance. Well, a lot of people out there are looking for jobs right now, and everyone knows the unemployment rate is hitting around 6 percent, which is higher than it was a couple of years ago.

That's sort of meaningless, though, city by city. So, what we decided to do is take a look at the best places in terms of unemployment rates and the worst places.

Let's start off with the best places. These are the places with the lowest unemployment rates. Do you see a trend here? Do you see a trend? University towns, big time.

WHITFIELD: Oh!

SERWER: Texas A&M, University of Missouri there, the Gators, Gator county, Razorbacks and Wahoo (ph). So, you know, head yourself to a university town if you're looking for a job.

Big cities with good employment rates include Honolulu, Portland, Maine, and Santa Fe.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go to Honolulu.

WHITFIELD: Yes, I'd like going there.

SERWER: Yes, that's good, too. I'm surprised about Honolulu actually.

Let's talk about some of the worst places...

WHITFIELD: It's so expensive.

SERWER: I know, absolutely. Let's talk about some of the worst places here. Interesting. Do you see a trend here? I thought it would be Silicon Valley. It is California, but that's mostly in the Central Valley areas. The Imperial Valley, San Joaquin Valley, agricultural areas. And look at the YU cities. Avoid those.

HEMMER: What gives there?

SERWER: Yuba City. There is no trend, Bill. That's random. That is what we call statistically random.

WHITFIELD: Does climate have anything to do with it?

SERWER: You know, the agricultural thing, I'm going to poke into that a little bit, because you think that wouldn't be hurting so bad.

Some of the big cities that are not faring so well, though: El Paso, San Jose -- not a surprise there -- and Portland, Oregon. Oregon is the worst state unemployment right now, you guys: 7.6 percent.

WHITFIELD: Wow! And what a beautiful place.

SERWER: Yes, I know. Again, I think technology has something to do with that. The best state for employment right now is South Dakota.

HEMMER: New York.

SERWER: No, New York is not so great. New York is kind of in the middle actually. They're not so great.

SERWER: South Dakota.

WHITFIELD: South Dakota.

SERWER: Maybe you could say there is...

WHITFIELD: What is the lure?

SERWER: ... not a lot of people there to begin with, no.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

SERWER: 3.2 percent unemployment right now.

WHITFIELD: OK.

SERWER: So, interesting, you can see the huge variations. That's very typical that you have variations like that.

HEMMER: Yes, the markets were down yesterday. We'll see what we do today, huh?

SERWER: That's it.

HEMMER: All right, Andy, talk to you later.

SERWER: OK.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.







Aired May 14, 2003 - 07:44   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Here is a story that may be some inspiration. If you love your job or hate your job. Either way, Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business."
Maybe some guidance.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Good morning.

SERWER: Yes, definitely some guidance. Well, a lot of people out there are looking for jobs right now, and everyone knows the unemployment rate is hitting around 6 percent, which is higher than it was a couple of years ago.

That's sort of meaningless, though, city by city. So, what we decided to do is take a look at the best places in terms of unemployment rates and the worst places.

Let's start off with the best places. These are the places with the lowest unemployment rates. Do you see a trend here? Do you see a trend? University towns, big time.

WHITFIELD: Oh!

SERWER: Texas A&M, University of Missouri there, the Gators, Gator county, Razorbacks and Wahoo (ph). So, you know, head yourself to a university town if you're looking for a job.

Big cities with good employment rates include Honolulu, Portland, Maine, and Santa Fe.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go to Honolulu.

WHITFIELD: Yes, I'd like going there.

SERWER: Yes, that's good, too. I'm surprised about Honolulu actually.

Let's talk about some of the worst places...

WHITFIELD: It's so expensive.

SERWER: I know, absolutely. Let's talk about some of the worst places here. Interesting. Do you see a trend here? I thought it would be Silicon Valley. It is California, but that's mostly in the Central Valley areas. The Imperial Valley, San Joaquin Valley, agricultural areas. And look at the YU cities. Avoid those.

HEMMER: What gives there?

SERWER: Yuba City. There is no trend, Bill. That's random. That is what we call statistically random.

WHITFIELD: Does climate have anything to do with it?

SERWER: You know, the agricultural thing, I'm going to poke into that a little bit, because you think that wouldn't be hurting so bad.

Some of the big cities that are not faring so well, though: El Paso, San Jose -- not a surprise there -- and Portland, Oregon. Oregon is the worst state unemployment right now, you guys: 7.6 percent.

WHITFIELD: Wow! And what a beautiful place.

SERWER: Yes, I know. Again, I think technology has something to do with that. The best state for employment right now is South Dakota.

HEMMER: New York.

SERWER: No, New York is not so great. New York is kind of in the middle actually. They're not so great.

SERWER: South Dakota.

WHITFIELD: South Dakota.

SERWER: Maybe you could say there is...

WHITFIELD: What is the lure?

SERWER: ... not a lot of people there to begin with, no.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

SERWER: 3.2 percent unemployment right now.

WHITFIELD: OK.

SERWER: So, interesting, you can see the huge variations. That's very typical that you have variations like that.

HEMMER: Yes, the markets were down yesterday. We'll see what we do today, huh?

SERWER: That's it.

HEMMER: All right, Andy, talk to you later.

SERWER: OK.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.