PRINCETON, NJ -- Gallup's Job Creation Index reached a post-recession high of +13 in April. This does not differ much from the +12 of the prior two months, but well exceeds the +5 of April 2010.





April's +13 index score is based on 32% of workers nationwide saying their employers are hiring and 19% saying their employers are letting workers go. The February and March readings were 30% hiring and 18% firing. The April index shows improvement over April 2010, when 27% of workers said their companies were hiring and 22% said they were letting workers go.





Job Market Conditions Improved in South and Midwest

Job market conditions were best in the Midwest and the South, at +15 each, but worst in the West, at +9. The year-over-year job situation improved the most in the Midwest and East, while showing the least improvement in the South.





Implications

The long-suffering job markets in the Midwest appear to be benefiting from continuing improvements in the manufacturing sector, and one of the benefits of the weak U.S. dollar has been to make U.S. exports more attractive globally. As a result, this region has the lowest firing in the nation and, along with the East, shows the most year-over-year improvement.

Still, increased manufacturing activity has been enough to stimulate only a modest improvement in job growth nationwide. Although technically hitting a new high in April, Gallup's Job Creation Index suggests there has been a virtual stagnation of job market conditions over the past three months. This stagnation most likely reflects the slower economic growth of the first quarter that seems to have continued in April.

At the same time, the finding that job growth in April was consistent with that of February and March is not bad, given the current economic headwinds of surging food and gas prices.

Gallup.com reports results from these indexes in daily, weekly, and monthly averages and in Gallup.com stories. Complete trend data are always available to view and export in the following charts:

Daily: Employment, Economic Confidence and Job Creation, Consumer Spending

Weekly: Employment, Economic Confidence, Job Creation, Consumer Spending

Read more about Gallup's economic measures.

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