4200 startup job openings in California

New data from the NVCA show available startup positions in all 50 states.

California has both the fourth highest unemployment rate in the country and, by far, the most job openings at startups. Go figure. Too many nice beaches, I guess.

According to the NVCA, 39% of the 11,000 job openings tracked by StartUpHire.com are in the Golden State. Not surprising. Yesterday alone, California-based companies announced over $100 million in funding: Rockyou raised $50 million, Zynga raised $15 million and Sezmi grabbed $25 million.

Below is a geographical breakdown of venture-backed job openings, released today as part of the NVCA's publicity blitz for Global Entrepreneurship Week.
The location of jobs mirrors the geographical concentration of venture capital hubs. California is followed by Massachusetts (7.9%), New York (7%), Texas (6%) and Washington State (3.7%). I would have expected a bigger gap between MA and NY, given the prominence of Route 128. My guess is the discouraged worker percentage correlates closely with World Series outcomes.

Startup jobs are available in all 50 states, according to the data. NVCA president Marc Heesen says that’s a promising sign. “We consistently are asked by policy makers and economic development leaders about the right formula for growing venture capital ecosystems. The answer is to support start-ups as these companies start small but soon grow to be significant job creators and contributors to local economies.” Wyoming, which has 1 startup job available, did not immediately return a call for comment.

As part of Global Entrepreneurship Week 2009, the NVCA and StartUpHire.com are highlighting the contributions of startups to economic growth by releasing detailed jobs data throughout the week. On Monday they announced 11,000 jobs available at startups nationwide. Venture-back jobs parsed by industry come out Wednesday, parsed by function on Thursday, and on Friday the NVCA publishes start-up “short stories,” 140-or-less character testimonials about life at a high-growth company. The samples published so far reflect a commitment to transparency about real working conditions, particularly regarding the potentially adverse affects of metaphor mixing:

You must have agility to be able to change hats mid-thought and analyze a problem in the opposite direction from someone else's shoes.

On the summit, down to the valley, and back on top again; and it's only Monday afternoon... Life is good.

Challenge status quo. Complacency not allowed. No mistakes = not trying hard enough = no growth. Push the envelope, be rewarded.