Job seekers find gold in San Francisco

San Francisco, California, is known for its hilly terrain, the Golden Gate Bridge and a number of other tourist attractions, but it is steadily gaining notoriety as the premier spot for job seekers. Well known industry giants like McKesson Corporation, Wells Fargo and Gap Inc. all have their headquarters located in San Francisco, while other companies like Google and Apple settled down in the nearby Bay area.

The city is host to a modern day gold rush - a veritable job prospector's paradise. Living is incredibly expensive, but those who tactfully sift through the job market can strike it rich.

Bay Area a Must-Watch
Life in San Francisco is pretty great - to say the least. Climate Data pegged the average temperature at a high of 64 degrees Fahrenheit, and a low of 51 degrees. While the fog can be pervasive at times, you'll never have to deal with snow or truly sweltering weather.

Residents may not have enough free time to experience all of the amenities the city has to offer. On weeknights the bars, restaurateur food joints and Fisherman's Wharf are filled to capacity as the desk jockeys leave work and file downtown for food. During the weekends people are able to enjoy the entertaining bar scene, or turn their attention toward one of the three major sports teams - the NBA's record-breaking Golden State Warriors, the NFL's San Francisco 49ers, or Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants. Residents can also visit a number of popular tourist attractions which include the Palace of Fine Arts Theater, Aquarium of the Bay and historic Chinatown.

The Golden Gate City is Sitting Pretty

Those who work in San Francisco truly subscribe to the motto, "Work hard, play hard." Jobs in the city are usually highly demanding and time-intensive, but the reward of working at a Fortune 500 company, or a startup with the potential to make waves in their respective industry, is often worth it.

Recently, the solar industry has come to light as a viable option in the city, as over 20,000 new jobs were created in 2015, according to CBS. That's a 35 percent increase in job creation over just one year.

The San Francisco area employs almost 2.5 million people, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Furthermore, the city's 3.9 percent unemployment rate (as of December 2015) is a full point lower than the national average. Here's the lowdown on the city's job situation:

• Professional and business services compose the largest group of workers, with 475,000 finding jobs in the industry. It also has one of the highest job creation rates, at 5.1 percent as of December 2015.
• The information sector experienced the second-largest growth in new jobs overall in 2015, and exploded at 5.9 percent in December. However, the sector only employs 86,000 - a sign that the industry is on the rise, and job seekers should look to apply within if they have experience.
• Trade, transportation and utilities employ the second most people in the city at around 387,000. The industry experienced around a 4 percent growth rate in job creation at the end of last year.
• Around 335,000 job seekers found work in the education and health services market. A healthy 2.6 percent of them gained employment during 2015.
• Government services employs around 313,000, but job growth stalled to about 1 percent in 2015.
• The leisure and hospitality industry checked in at 260,000 employees at the end of 2015. While they experienced a job creation rate of up to 4 percent of its total employment number, the market finished at just 2 percent.

While living expenses in San Francisco can run high, job seekers that find a great company will find it well worth it. The city's blossoming economy and lively social scene make it an ideal place for employees and employers alike.