Jobs : Buzz

America's new hotbeds of technology innovation are not in the major cities like New York, Los Angeles or Chicago, but smaller ones, according to Forbes. And ranking No. 4 on Forbes' list is the Greater Baltimore region, where jobs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) grew nearly 18 percent between 2001 and 2012.

The Washington, D.C., metropolitan area got the top spot, followed by Riverside-San Bernadino, Calif., and San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas. 

New York, L.A. and Chicago, in contrast, all lost tech jobs in the past decade, according to the data crunched by Praxis Strategy Group. 

"As the social media industry matures and consolidates, employment is likely to continue shifting to less expensive, business-friendly areas," Forbes writes.

You can read the rest of the story here. 

Baltimore is one of the nation's coolest cities, according to Forbes. 

The magazine ranked 65 largest cities according to their "coolness," using seven measures. Cities were graded on the number of recreational activities, entertainment options, restaurants and bars per capita, as well as cultural composition, median age, unemployment rate and net migration. It used the help of Sperling's Best Places to assess the entertainment options. 
 
“Baltimore is in transition because it has been down and out for a long time but it’s beginning to come back because it’s affordable,” says Sperling’s Best Places in Forbes.
 
Houston, Texas took the top honor because it enjoyed a 2.6 percent job growth last year, which drew plenty of young professionals to the sprawling metropolis. Really. 

Our neighbor to the South, Washington, D.C., took the No. 2 spot. 

You can read the entire story and a slideshow here. 

We thought the drug-and-corruption laden city portrayed in the Wire was the only image New Yorkers had of Baltimore.

But that might change. The New York Times recently published a list of the top cities with the most college graduates and the ranking places Baltimore/Towson No. 13. Our neighbor Washington, D.C., topped the list. San Jose, Calif., Bridgeport, Conn., San Francisco and Madison, Wis., rounded out the top five. 

The Times analyzed data from the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program to come up with the list. It also ran a companion article that says that cities that don't retain college graduates will be left behind. 

"A small number of metro areas vacuum up a large number of college graduates, and the rest struggle to keep those they have," the article states.

Baltimore, can you hear the sucking sound? 

Forbes says Baltimore is the nation's 5th best city for tech jobs, citing growth in federal spending and STEM.

The magazine didn't even lump the city in with Washington/Maryland/Virginia, which was ranked No. 2 for job growth. No. 1 was Seattle and No. 3 was San Diego.

Forbes took a look at employment growth across a variety of sectors associated with the high-tech economy, including software, Internet publishing, engineering and math-related fields.

You can see the complete list here.

Though plans to promote offshore wind energy died in last year's legislative session, this year Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley will renew his efforts. That's according to North American Windpower. 

The state unveiled the Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2012. 

The bill would create 1,800 construction jobs and 360 maintenance jobs, North American Windpower writes. You can read the rest of the story here. 

From the article, which details Baltiimore County's new fund raising: "The consolidated public improvement bonds will redeem outstanding consolidated public improvement BANs, which financed county public works, schools, parks, and other capital projects. The BANs will provide interim funding for the county's capital program." Read the full piece here.

Owings Mills-based Centric Business Systems is growing and hiring.

From the source:

Centric Business Systems has nearly doubled the size of its corporate offices in Owings Mills. Now, the company is looking for more workers to fill the space.

The office technology company was to unveil Wednesday afternoon its new 40,000-square-foot digs along Red Run Boulevard. Before cutting the ceremonial ribbon (you know there’s going to be a ribbon), Centric’s Rick Bastinelli, the company’s president, told me he has plans to hire another 30 employees by the end of this year.

Read the full article here.

VEEP, the new HBO series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, has begun filming here in Maryland.

From the source:

VEEP, a new HBO series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, is starting production in Maryland this week, according to the governor’s office.

Local production of the show — a political satire about a fictional former senator, played by Louis-Dreyfus, who becomes vice president — began Monday in the Baltimore area, Gov. Martin O’Malley said in a statement.

Read more here.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors descended on Baltimore this past weekend and they made some national news while they were here, including a call for reduced spending on foreign wars.

From the source:

"When asked to respond to those who argue military efforts overseas have made American cities safer from foreign terrorists, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa pointed to the cost of the wars.

"How did we get to a deficit and a debt larger than at any time not only in U.S. history but in human history? We got involved in two wars that, no matter what you think about those wars, we haven't paid for," Villaraigosa said.

"That we would build bridges in Baghdad and Kandahar and not Baltimore and Kansas City, absolutely boggles the mind."

Read the full story here.