May 2010 was a good month for employment across the United States. The trend that we say in April continued in May with job creation in the majority of states and unemployment declining in a majority, as well. Data was gathered on the current employment / unemployment situation in the United States and analyzed by ORD, a directory of headhunters, and here are some of the fascinating findings.

Unemployment rates fell in 37 states and in the District of Columbia in May from their previous levels in April. That means that fewer people were hitting the streets looking for jobs, bringing the national unemployment rate down to 9.7 percent. This welcome relief is the result of job creation. More people employed means fewer people need to look for jobs, and it means more opportunities for job change and advancement. Yes, this is welcome news for job seekers and for headhunters, as well.

Texas showed itself to be a shining star in May, leading national employment growth by adding 43,600 new jobs. One might be tempted to “credit” the gulf oil spill for this bright spot, except that Louisiana is home to most of spill jobs, and it’s unemployment rate is unchanged from two months earlier. Hiring is taking place again in California, sometimes called America’s economic black hole, which saw an addition of 28,300 jobs to the payrolls. New York, Florida and Virginia also saw significant job creation. That these are among America’s most populous states is very good news for a nationwide recovery.

Even in those states where the total number of jobs decreased, the total was reasonably mild. For instance, New Mexico suffered the biggest reduction in jobs, losing 1,700 positions…a fairly mild blow compared to the economic carnage of recent years. South Dakota “wins” second place for job losses, with 800 fewer jobs than in April, and Idaho stands in third place with 200 job losses. The lower rate of job loss is another sign that the employment situation has likely bottomed out.

In Michigan, the folks have a special reason to cheer. Michigan is no longer the state with the highest unemployment rate; Nevada has claimed that position in May. This continues a trend that we have seen over the past few months, where Michigan seems to slowly be recovering, while each month Nevada’s employment rate seems to be slipping.

Additionally, the job losses in South Dakota may mean that the state could lose its current position as having the second lowest state unemployment rate.

While the news is encouraging, it is important to realize that many of the jobs added to the economy in May actually came from temporary hiring for the U.S. Census. As an editorial comment, that seems pretty incredible, that there could be so much employment from that one project that it actually tips the employment rate. While the reduction in job loss may point to stability in the employment market, sustainable job growth is still a big question mark.

ORD offers a jobs report each month, complete with video analysis, a stats table and a treasure map of where you stand the best chance of finding a job.

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