New York, Aug 23 (IANS): New York leads a list of cities in the US that are poised to offer the maximum number of new jobs in the country after the global recession, an astounding figure of 600,000.

Unemployment in New York now stands below the national average, and the city will soon offer a total of 578,897 jobs in industries as Wall Street, healthcare and entertainment, economics experts have said.

Los Angeles follows New York and is expected to add 405,392 new jobs, while Chicago has the third-best future with an additional 344,740 projected jobs.

Economist Richard Florida of the consulting firm Creative Class Group said this has happened because New York "isn't a one-industry town".

"New York has a very diverse set of occupations. It's not like the steel industry in Pittsburgh or the auto industry in Detroit," he was quoted as saying by the New York Post.

Florida is so optimistic about New York's future that he has predicted it will lead the nation in job creation over the next eight years.

The burst of employment in New York will be led by highly skilled professionals with college degrees in business, science and engineering, he said.

A review by the Federal Bureau of Labour Statistics covering 22 cities and over 822 job categories predicted the job openings.

Jobs in Wall Street and the entertainment industry are expected "to explode", Florida said, adding that the financial services industry and the healthcare industry have "weathered the recession better than most".

There will be a slew of job openings in the entertainment industry, from ballet dancers to agents to stage designers and graphic artists, he said, adding "New York is a mecca for that".