U.S. states where companies are having the most trouble hiring workers
Despite the fact that the United States has seen a large number of mass layoffs in recent months, in some states employers have more difficulty hiring staff
WalletHub, the site specializing in finance, conducted a study to detect in which states in the country employers have the most difficulty hiring staff, finding that Alaska and New York are at the extremes of the list.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic, millions of Americans lost their jobs and experienced financial hardship due to unemployment. Now, for many employers, the shoe is on the other foot,” the WalletHub report says. “Many businesses are having difficulty hiring enough workers, which has sometimes led to service delays and reduced business hours.”
According to the data, the labor force participation rate is still below pre-pandemic levels and is at one of the lowest points in decades.
With the pandemic, some companies even had trouble keeping the employees they already had, as Americans quit their jobs at a record pace in what was dubbed the “Great Quit.”
And while data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show that the quitting trend is slowing significantly, within the U.S., workers are harder to find in some states than others.
To see where employers are having the hardest time hiring, WalletHub compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on the rate of job openings for both the last month and the last 12 months.
It then used these metrics to rank the states and District from those struggling the most with hiring to those struggling the least.
States where employers struggle the most with hiring:
State: (1) Alaska
Job offer rate (last month): 7.90%.
Job offer rate (last year): 8.37%.
State: (2) West Virginia
Job openings rate (last month): 7.40% Job openings rate (last year): 8.37% State: (2) West Virginia
Job offer rate (last year): 7.91% State: (3) Louisiana: (3) West Virginia
State: (3) Louisiana
Job openings rate (last month): 7.40% Job openings rate (last year): 7.91% State: (3) Louisiana
Rate of job offers (last year): 7.29% State: (4) Georgia
State: (4) Georgia
Job openings rate (last month): 7.00% Job openings rate (last month): 7.00% Job openings rate (last month): 7.00
Rate of job offers (last year): 7.54% State: (5) South Carolina
State: (5) South Carolina
Job openings rate (last month): 7.10% Job openings rate (last month): 7.00% Job openings rate (last year): 7.54
Rate of job offers (last year): 7.21% State: (6) Virginia
State: (6) Virginia
Job openings rate (last month): 6.90% Job openings rate (last month): 6.90% Job openings rate (last year): 7.21
Rate of job offers (last year): 7.34% State: (7) Mississippi
State: (7) Mississippi
Job openings rate (last month): 7.00% (7) Mississippi
Job openings rate (last year): 6.91% State: (8) North Carolina
State: (8) North Carolina
Job openings rate (last month): 6.90% Job openings rate (last month): 6.90% Job openings rate (last year): 6.91
Rate of job offers (last year): 7.02% State: (9) Montana
State: (9) Montana
Job openings rate (last month): 6.70% Job openings rate (last month): 6.70% Job openings rate (last year): 7.02
Job openings rate (last year): 7.38% State: (10) New Mexico
State: (10) New Mexico
Job openings rate (last month): 6.80% Job openings rate (last month): 6.80% Job openings rate (last year): 7.38
Job offer rate (last year): 7.15%.
Opposite:
State: (51) New York
Job offer rate (last month): 4.50% Job offer rate (last month): 4.50% Job offer rate (last year): 4.50% Job offer rate (last year): 4.50% Job offer rate (last year): 4.50%
Job offer rate (last year): 4.73%.
To view the full report and methodology, click here.