The US economy has had a tough year, growth has been difficult, unemployment remains high and investment patchy.

But as the world looks to 2012, there are signs the US economy in 2012 will be a lot healthier than that of Asia or Europe.

That is by no means guaranteed but recent signs are ruling out a recession and point to growth of between two and three per cent.

There is growth especially in domestic energy production and for clues about how the US may fare in 2012.

Williston North Dakota is where everyone is hiring -- from fast food restaurants to trucking companies, the unemployment rate for the town is less than half of one per cent.

Mayor E.Ward Koesser said : "But keep in mind a year ago there was nothing here... And the average time to sell a house is about three days probably."

And all this growth is due to oil.

Oil and natural gas drilling is providing a big boost to the US economy.

Although there are growing environmental concerns the sector is due to expand rapidly in 2012, Williston is one of many towns here in the West being transformed.

But the town also shows the dark side of the US economy.

Alan Hafeman drove in a rickety camper van with his dog Milo all the way from Minnesota just to try and find a job.

"The wages are just crazy out here. Compared to back home, even if I could find a job... you are lucky to find something that is paying over seven bucks an hour."

Alan been out of work for over a year and calls a Wal Mart parking lot his home.

And Alan is not alone.

Unemployment in the US is still far too high but economists do see some light at the end of the tunnel.


Ryan Avent, economics correspondent, The Economist, said: "We got a big surprise last month when the unemployment rate dipped from nine per cent to 8.6 per cent.

"I think a lot of that is noise in the date that may go away but if the economy continues to grow as it has, we may actually see some sustained improvement "

In Williston, a shortage of housing means new workers have to live in temporary housing dubbed man camps.

While the rest of the US still has too many unsold homes and around a third of homeowners owe more on their mortgage than their house is worth, 2012 is being seen as the year that this long suffering market could turn.

Ryan of the Economist said: "We may actually be seeing an upturn next year.

"Things have been so depressed. We haven't actually built enough housing to keep up with population growth over the past five years.

"So if that goes from a negative, from a drag on growth to a positive, it would make a big difference for the economy as a whole."

For the Federal Reserve and Chairman Ben Bernanke, early 2012 will be a wait-and-see period, to see if the US economic recovery continues to take hold.

In 2012, the real test will be whether jobs are available across the US and not just in isolated boom areas like North Dakota.

The recovery may be real here but across the rest of the country, it is looking a lot less pretty.

channelnewsasia.com