Because we love Paychecks, we love checking in on jobs and assorted jobby things that provide those Paychecks! It’s been quite a crazy couple of years, but looking across the board nationally, how’s the country doing?
Here are Five Fast Facts on the number of job openings:
- ⚖️ Balancing Act - Overall, the number of open jobs has dropped in every state since 2022. It’s the closest thing to balance – one job opening per job seeker – we’ve seen in this country since before the pandemic.
- ⏳ Not Long Ago - Coming out of COVID shutdowns back in 2022, there were two job openings for every job seeker. The recent numbers for the whole country show that number is down to about 1.2. It’s amazing how fast the pendulum can swing in either direction!
- 🌎 Location, Location, Location - It really depends on where you are, though. In some states, the unemployment rate is much higher than the national average, and it’s harder to find people to fill jobs. In other places, it’s the opposite. The jobs that are hardest to fill are skilled positions without a college degree, like trades, healthcare support, or IT.
- 👍 Opportunities Abound - In North Dakota, there’s a severe shortage of skilled and educated workers, with almost three open jobs for every job seeker. If you want a good paying job, then we’ll paraphrase the old song: go north young man (or woman)!
- 😥 Not So Golden - On the other hand, there’s California. Big layoffs in tech and Hollywood have left less than one job opening per job seeker. California was the biggest creator of new jobs pre-pandemic, but now has the biggest job losses of any state since, with unemployment over 5%. 😣
🔥Bottom line: It’s good to see things coming back into balance. Generally speaking, when economic things are out of balance it’s usually bad news. Also, it’s always great to know that there are good jobs out there (even if you might have to move to get them)!
Are there a lot of jobs available where you live?
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