So you’re considering making the move to the Granite State but first want to make sure there are sufficient New Hampshire employment opportunities. The New Hampshire employment market is comparable to every other state in the country with a slight emphasis on agriculture and industry. The climate, culture and geography of New Hampshire are exactly what one would expect for an Atlantic northwest state. And despite the country’s current economic state of recession, New Hampshire employment is still nearly two whole percentage points below the national average.
New Hampshire unemployment
New Hampshire unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) increased from October 2008 to October 2009 by 2.8% to a rate of 6.8%
[Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics]
New Hampshire Employment Opportunities
Despite the current state of the economy, New Hampshire employment statistics look positive. The unemployment rate in New Hampshire is below the national average. In July 2009 the national unemployment average was 9.4% the New Hampshire unemployment average was well below with 6.8%.
The highest paying occupations in New Hampshire are management occupations. The average hourly wage for management is nearly twice the hourly wage of all other occupations. The average management hourly wage is $47 per hour while the mean hourly wage for all total occupations is $20.22. Office and administrative support occupations employ the most individuals in New Hampshire at approximately 110,700 people. The mean hourly wage for administrative positions is $15.38 per hour.
Sale occupations in New Hampshire employment are responsible for employing the second highest number of people at approximately 80,000. The average hourly wage for sales professionals is $17.15 per hour.
Food preparation and serving related occupations employ the third highest number of people in New Hampshire employment. This occupation employs approximately 53,700 people and the average hourly wage is $10.30 per hour.
Production occupations and education, training and library occupations are a close fourth employing between 49,000 and 46,000 respectably. The average hourly wage for these professions is $15.00 for production and $20.00 for education and training.
Some very valuable information for the individual interested in acquiring New Hampshire employment would be the Top 10 Occupations by Estimated Employment in New Hampshire. These occupations are retail salespeople, cashiers, office clerks, registered nurses, waiters, food preparation workers and fast food workers, teaching assistants, stock clerks and order fillers, bookkeeping and accounting, and secretaries. The estimated people employed by these occupations within New Hampshire employment is nearly 150,000. These Top 10 occupations are the occupations with the most availability. Except for registered nurses, these occupations are all amongst the lowest paying occupations in New Hampshire.
New Hampshire Employment Resources
The state of New Hampshire has a very helpful website at www.nh.gov. This site is designed specifically for New Hampshire employment information. This site references the major industries and employers as well as forecasting unemployment rates.
Some other agencies and resources for New Hampshire employment are Coworx Staffing Services 603-627-8627 www.coworxstaffing.com; Technical Employment Services 603-881-8622 www.techemployment.net; Wilson Employment Networks LLC., 603-225-7300 www.wilsonemployment.com; Central New Hampshire Employment Services 603-598-0117 www.cnhesinc.com; Ultimate Staffing 603-577-9960 www.ultimatestaffing.com; and Entegee 603-880-6613 www.entegee.com.
New Hampshire Living Conditions
The weather of New Hampshire is typical for the Atlantic northeast states. The summers in New Hampshire are humid and warm. The precipitation is average year round and the winters in New Hampshire are cold and wet. Average winter snowfall is between 60 and 100 inches annually. Occasionally but rarely New Hampshire will experience tropical storms or hurricanes. By the time the tropical storms reach the northern point near New Hampshire they are not life or property threatening.
New Hampshire borders the Canadian province of Quebec to the north, Vermont to the west, Massachusetts to the south and Maine to the east. New Hampshire is and always has been at the political forefront of our nation. The New Hampshire primary is the first primary every four years in the presidential elections.
New Hampshire was the first state to have its own constitution. New Hampshire is known for its beauty during all seasons however is especially recognized for its recreational attractions during the winter months. New Hampshire offers downhill skiing, mountaineering, and hiking as tourist and local attractions. New Hampshire also has beautiful fall foliage and summer cottages which attract tourism. Something interesting that many do not know is New Hampshire has the shortest coastal shoreline in the country at 18 miles.
The state of New Hampshire has just over 1 million people the majority living in Merrimack County. Nearly 98% of the state is Caucasian and over a quarter of the population is French-Canadian. Almost three-fourths of the population of New Hampshire is Christian while 35% of them are Catholic. 1% of the state of New Hampshire is Jewish. This being said, it is reported that New Hampshire and its neighboring state Vermont have the lowest levels of religious commitment among all the states in this country.
The average personal income in 2005 in New Hampshire was just over $37,000. This average is the 6th in the country and is ten percent higher than the national average which is just over $34,000. Agriculture outputs in New Hampshire are mainly nursery stock, apples and eggs, cattle and dairy products. Industrial outputs in New Hampshire are primarily electric equipment, tourism, rubber and plastic products and machinery. Up until 2009 New Hampshire’s economic base was textiles, small machining shops and shoe-making however cheaper labor was quickly found elsewhere including Quebec and small rural areas in New Hampshire.
Benefits to living in New Hampshire include the no general sales tax and no personal state income tax statutes.
New Hampshire alcohol sales are highest in the country although New Hampshire is an alcoholic beverage control state.
Politically the state of New Hampshire is represented by both liberals and conservatives; the current Governor is a Democrat and one of the United States senators is Democrat, the other U.S. Senator is Republican.
The education system in New Hampshire is extremely good. In 2008 New Hampshire tied with Massachusetts as the top states for highest SAT and ACT standardized test scores. There are more than 30 colleges and universities in New Hampshire.
If you are considering moving and joining New Hampshire employment you will be joining the ranks of past residents such as J.D. Salinger, Angels and Demons author Dan Brown, Chris Carpenter, former President of the United States Franklin Pierce, Steven Tyler and John Wentworth.
New Hampshire Employment
New Hampshire employment looks positive despite our country’s current economic state. Not only does New Hampshire employment look positive but New Hampshire unemployment is also two percentage points below the national average. The living conditions, climate, geography and culture in New Hampshire as well as New Hampshire employment all make New Hampshire a very good place to live.



