Labor participation in the U.S. is around 62%, one of the lowest rates in decades, according to WalletHub. In certain states, finding workers is especially hard.
To find the states where employers are having the toughest time filling positions, WalletHub conducted a survey based on the rate of job openings for both the latest month and the last 12 months.
These are the states where employers are struggling the most to find workers:
1. Alaska
2. Georgia
3. Montana
4. Louisiana
5. New Mexico
6. West Virginia
7. Virginia
8. Wyoming
9. Delaware
10. Vermont
Since 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the financial and workplace situations of many Americans. Labor participation was higher than 63% in January 2020 and fell to around 60% that April, shortly after the pandemic hit.
While many either permanently or temporarily lost their jobs during the pandemic, some businesses are now struggling to hire workers. This has, at times, led to delays in services and reduced business hours, WalletHub explained.
Here are the states where employers are struggling the least to find workers:
1. New York
2. District of Columbia
3. Connecticut
4. New Jersey
5. Florida
6. Illinois
7. Pennsylvania
8. North Dakota
9. Nebraska
10. South Dakota
WalletHub asked Economics professor Gerald Friedman of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst why some employers are having a difficult time hiring.
“Because they have been reluctant to raise wages in the face of full employment,” he said. “Also, the available labor force has fallen because around 5 million (3% of the labor force) are out because of COVID and long COVID. And, many workers have left certain occupations (e.g., personal service and food service) to avoid COVID.”
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