PHOENIX—Wallethub.com has named Mesa as the ninth best city in America for job seekers according to a report recently published on its website. The site listed 60 cities and Phoenix was named number 14.

Wahingington-based Wallethub used a ranking system based on 13 metrics including job openings per capita, cost of living and the availability of employer-provided health benefits.

According to data from the US Census Bureau, more than 100 million people have moved within the past five years and 48% of unemployed individuals have moved in search of a job over that timeframe.  Wallethub claims this societal mobility stands to be a major asset for job seekers as the economy improves. 

The coming year is expected to be a strong year for hiring, with 27% of employers planning to hire, according to the National Association for Business Economics, and a projected 8% bump in the number of recent college graduates who land jobs, per the National Association for Colleges and Employers.

Mesa mayor Scott Smith was first elected in 2008 and has focused on “Building a Better Mesa.” He's led with six key issues: for families to live in safer, more active neighborhoods; for future generations to stay in the city and realize their career goals; to build pride in the community;to be a leader in regional issues; re-establish trust in city government; and to establish economic development city-wide.

Mayor Smith told GlobeSt.com the city has worked hard to make it place where businesses of all sizes and entrepreneurs can come and invest. “And when that happens, jobs are created,” he says.

“It's simple to say, but difficult to implement,” Smith tells GlobeSt.com. “We don't regulate so much as create a culture of facilitation.”

Smith also has faith in the future of Mesa's commercial real estate market.

“We've taken some hard hits, but I understand Mesa is poised to make a comeback—with Apple and Mesa Gateway out here—good things are happening. We have confidence in where we want to go, and that is going to drive the demand and expectations in the commercial real estate market,” says Smith.