Mapped: Unemployed Workers vs. Job Openings, by U.S. State

The Visual Capitalist ^ | 08/05/2023 | Avery Koop

[SeekAndFind]

In the United States, there were about 75 workers available for every 100 job openings as of July 2023. This means there is a significant gap between labor and jobs available, but also many opportunities present in some states for potential job seekers.

In the map below, using data from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Visual Capitalist's Avery Koop and Bhabna Banerjee showcase the number of available workers per 100 job openings in each U.S. state.

Note: Available workers are unemployed workers who are in the labor force but do not have a job, have looked for one in the previous four weeks, and are currently able and available to work. Job openings are simply all unfulfilled positions that offer available work.

Workers and Job Openings by State

The below table lists out the number of unemployed workers per 100 jobs in every state.

Higher ratios, such as 110 workers per 100 job openings, mean there is more competition for each job opening in that state. Lower ratios suggest that it is harder to find workers in a given state.

Rank	State	Available Workers per 100 Job Openings
#T1	California	110.0
#T1	New York	110.0
#3	New Jersey	108.0
#4	Connecticut	102.0
#5	Washington	101.0
#6	Nevada	98.0
#7	Texas	89.0
#8	Pennsylvania	88.0
#9	Michigan	85.0
#10	Hawaii	79.0
#11	Oregon	77.0
#12	Arizona	76.0
#13	Illinois	75.0
#T14	Indiana	74.0
#T14	Rhode Island	74.0
#16	Delaware	72.0
#17	Kentucky	66.0
#18	Ohio	65.0
#T19	Alaska	63.0
#T19	New Mexico	63.0
#21	Wyoming	61.0
#22	Louisiana	60.0
#T23	Florida	59.0
#T23	Kansas	59.0
#T25	Missouri	58.0
#T25	West Virginia	58.0
#T27	Georgia	57.0
#T27	Iowa	57.0
#T29	Idaho	56.0
#T29	Tennessee	56.0
#T31	District of Columbia	55.0
#T31	Mississippi	55.0
#T31	North Carolina	55.0
#T34	Colorado	54.0
#T34	Minnesota	54.0
#36	South Carolina	53.0
#37	Wisconsin	52.0
#38	Virginia	51.0
#T39	Maine	50.0
#T39	Oklahoma	50.0
#41	Utah	48.0
#42	Montana	46.0
#43	Alabama	45.0
#T44	Arkansas	44.0
#T44	Massachusetts	44.0
#T44	Vermont	44.0
#47	New Hampshire	41.0
#48	Maryland	40.0
#49	Nebraska	40.0
#50	North Dakota	35.0
#51	South Dakota	35.0
U.S. Total		75.0

While states like New Jersey and California have more workers that they know what to do with, states like North Dakota have a 0.35 ratio of people to jobs, potentially tipping the balance of power to job seekers.

Over the last three years, job openings have increased the most in the state of Georgia, where there were only 0.57 people available for every open role in July. But despite growth in open positions, unemployment has hardly changed over the last year, wavering around 3%.

The Reason for the Gap

“If every unemployed person in the country found a job, we would still have 4 million open jobs.”

- U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the main driver of the current labor shortage was the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing more than 100,000 businesses to close temporarily and resulting in millions losing their jobs.

Subsequent government support for those who lost work and other subsidies made it easier for people to stay home and out of the workforce. A Chamber of Commerce survey found that 1-in-5 people have changed their work style since the pandemic, with 17% having retired, 19% having transitioned to a homemaker role, and another 14% working only part time.

The industries with the highest unemployment rates are also those that have added the most jobs, with leisure and hospitality experiencing the highest rates (5.1%) just ahead of wholesale and retail trade (4.4%).

Overall, though the job marker has started to cool somewhat, hiring is still outpacing quit rates. The national quit rate in July 2023 was 3.8%, compared to a hiring rate of 4%. And with 9.8 million job openings in the U.S., there should be ample opportunities for job seekers.

[Hardastarboard]

You also run into idiots in the HR departments.

You could say that 1,000,000 times and not run out of room.

[married21]

Yep

[cgbg]

A good interview is when the first question is:

“So how is your (relative) (name of relative) doing these days?”

[married21]

I have never been so lucky.