Short term, oil spill means mini job boom in Gulf

By JOHN CURRAN Associated Press Writer

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico threatens the livelihoods of fishermen, restaurant workers, charter boat captains and the region's tourism industry. But some other jobs are benefiting.

It's triggering a mini-boom among workers hired to help clean up and contain the oil spilling into the Gulf.

It's reminiscent of the job boom that followed Hurricane Katrina as thousands were put to work cleaning up debris, gutting house and rebuilding.

Five years after that hurricane, the area's economy is among the healthiest of major metro areas. That's according to The Associated Press Economic Stress Index, which assigns counties a score of 1 to 100 based on unemployment, foreclosure and bankruptcy data.