While the nation continues to deal with tough economic times, the same can not be said about Austin. If you are interested in making Austin home, you will be glad to know that Austin has the best job market throughout the great state of Texas. To be exact, it has the strongest economy in the United States. Over the next two years, as many as 44,000 jobs are expected to be added to the area.

Austin is fortunate that its job growth is accompanied with good salaries and benefits – a definite plus for job seekers looking for incomes that can afford them a comfortable lifestyle. As a consequence, this contributes to Austin’s expanding population, particularly young professionals looking to settle down.

Because of the population growth, the demand for housing will be up. As a result, the construction industry will also perform well in Austin’s economy.

High-technology is the leading industry in Austin; it’s the driving force for this Central Texas town’s strong economy. It has earned the Austin the nickname "The Silicon Hills."

Other industries are emerging in Austin as well: pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and advertising agencies. Austin’s strong economy is also supported by locally owned firms.

So if your search for Austin real estate also involves finding a good paying job, here’s a list of companies you can inquire to about employment:

• Austin Independent School District

• The City of Austin

• Dell, Inc.

• The U.S. Federal Government

• Freescale Semiconductor (a subsidiary of Motorola)

• IBM

• St. David’s Healthcare Partnership

• Seton Family of Hospitals

• The State of Texas

• The University of Texas at Austin

• The University of Texas at Austin College of Communication

• Austin Community College

• St. Edward's University

• Austin Graduate School of Theology

• Huston–Tillotson University

• Concordia University Texas

• The University of Texas School of Law

• Apple Inc.

• Hewlett-Packard

• Google

• AMD

• Applied Materials

• Cirrus Logic

• Cisco Systems

• eBay/PayPal

• Bioware

• Blizzard Entertainment

• Hoover’s

• Intel Corporation

• National Instruments

• Samsung Group

• Silicon Laboratories

• Oracle Corporation

• Hostgator

• United Devices

• GSD&M

• LatinWorks

• Whole Foods Market

• Qualcomm Corporation

• AT&T Wireless Corporation

• T-Mobil

• Apogent Technologies

• Luminex Corporation

• Topaz Technologies Inc.

• Schlotzsky’s Inc.

• 360Commerce Inc.

• Britestream Networks

• HealthTronics

• Opus Healthcare Solutions

• SigmaTel Inc.

• Tricoast Funding

• Progressive Corporation

• Waste Management Inc.

So if you want to live in an area that has a strong job market and a good outlook for the future, consider your Austin home search as a good investment in your future.