With job market growth acting as a leading barometer for economic recovery, a recent report shows Baton Rouge is ahead of the national curve, though only slightly.The Department of Labor Statistics released a report earlier this month on the year-to-year non-farm employment growth of 372 American metropolitan cities. Baton Rouge ranked the seventh largest sector of growth.From July 2008 to July 2009, Baton Rouge added more than 700 new jobs to its labor market, mostly in the goods-manufacturing sector. The Baton Rouge goods-manufacturing sector increased by about 1,300 jobs in the last year. Service-providing industries lost about 600 jobs.While the city lost thousands of jobs in other sectors of the economy, the net gain of construction, trade and transportation, education and health services and government jobs caused positive overall growth.Though most of the jobs   created in the last year are related to construction and other blue-collar opportunities, Adam Knapp, president of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, said the economic future of the city could provide graduates with solid career opportunities.Knapp said the Baton Rouge Area Chamber has been focusing on expanding five sectors of the city’s economy during the past years. “We’re looking to see if there is traction for some of these balls we’re looking to roll, and the answer seems to be yes,” Knapp said.Knapp said warehouse and distribution jobs as well as construction and manufacturing are primary targets for growth. He said both sectors have limited white-collar opportunities.Another sector — finance, insurance and real estate — has been a very active growth prospect in the city and could offer students plenty of possible employment opportunities, Knapp said.Knapp cited an emerging Baton Rouge life sciences market as a future prospect for growth in the city. Cancer treatment companies and stem cell research firms have both shown interest in expanding into Baton Rouge.Knapp said a 40 percent tax credit incentive recently passed by the city government for research and development conducted by small businesses in Louisiana has made the city an exciting prospect for many research firms.Knapp calls the final sector “emerging and existing niche opportunities,” which he said includes video game development prospects. Sara Crow, the University’s  Career Services assistant director for communications, said she has not seen a significant increase in graduates who cannot find employment.She said the job market hunt has just become more difficult, but mostly because it requires greater focus and a greater willingness to explore outside students’ declared majors.”The ball is more in the employers’ court,” Crow said. “What that means for students is they may have to open up their scope for the job market.”Crow said students looking to avoid a painful job hunt should begin focusing their energy on finding employment while still in school. She said networking and career experience are more important than ever.”The advice we’re giving students isn’t different than what we would give in a strong economic environment,” Crow said. “Students just have to heed that advice more because the market is still weak.”Crow said networking opportunities such as next week’s career exposition are the kinds of moves students need to make to survive.Unemployment in Baton Rouge increased from 4.7 percent to 7.3 percent during the last year. City unemployment was down 0.1 percent in July from June, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The national average for unemployment was most recently estimated at 9.7 percent, up from 6 percent last year. The average rose 0.3 percent from July to August.Unemployment rates were higher in July than a year earlier in all 372 metropolitan areas, according to the BLS.—-Contact Adam Duvernay at [email protected]