The American West and the Midwest, as well as the nation's largest cities, are still enduring the worst of the ongoing downturn in employment prospects.

Newly-released figures from the US Labor Department show that employment in all of the 372 largest metropolitan areas was down for the fifth successive month in May, with businesses in the construction, retail and financial services sectors faring the worst as a result of the economic downturn.

The official statistics also confirm that Californian cities, as well as those in Michigan and Indiana currently boast the worst employment prospects, though the metropolitan area of Buffalo-Niagara Falls bucked the trend, with more jobs being created.

At the same time, the government department also reported that large employers, such as the oil industry in North Dakota and the University of Iowa, were helping to create a number of local jobs, thereby ensuring unemployment rates in these regions remain well below the national average.

Officials warned that many employers may be reluctant to start creating new jobs for a while after the economy starts to pick up again, with some observers predicting further cuts before employment prospects recover.

Meanwhile, it has been announced that $10 million is to be invested in training San Francisco's young people up for potential jobs in California's burgeoning green energy sector.