States With the Most Job Openings

The COVID-19 pandemic sent the U.S. unemployment rate up to a post Great Depression high of 14.7% in April 2020. Though the jobless rate has since fallen back below 4%, the U.S. job market is far from pre-pandemic norms in at least one other key measure – labor supply. 

The U.S. is currently grappling with a massive labor shortage. Due largely to the pandemic, millions of workers have decided to retire, over 1 million mothers of school-age children have left the workforce, and there are about 2 million fewer working-age immigrants in the country. Currently, the labor force participation rate – the share of Americans 16 and older either working or looking for work – stands at 61.9%, a low not seen in the pre-pandemic United States since 1977.

As a result, employers nationwide are struggling to fill open positions. As of the end of November 2021, there were 10.6 million open jobs in the United States, a 56% increase from one year ago. While the labor shortage is a problem across the country, some states are being hit harder than others. 

Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 24/7 Wall St. identified the states with the most job openings. States are ranked by the number of open jobs as of the end of November 2021, the most recent date of available data. 

Depending on the state, the share of jobs that remain unfilled ranges from 5.8% up to 8.8%. For context, 6.6% of jobs nationwide are unfilled. 

The national labor shortage is exacerbating supply chain issues and creating an existential challenge for many small businesses. Even major companies have been forced to reduce their hours of operation. Chain restaurants, including McDonald’s, Starbucks, and Chipotle, as well as major retailers like Macy’s, have cut hours of operations in some or all of their locations. Here is a look at the industry people are quitting the fastest.

Click here to see the states with the most job openings
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