After falling to 3.5% amid COVID shutdowns in April 2020, the rate of job openings has doubled to 7% over the last two years. But as with many aspects of the current economy, the overall statistics do not tell the full story, and the hiring outlook depends heavily on industry. Many of the sectors with the highest job openings rates have been the most challenging to work in during the pandemic. The rate of openings is also dependent on geography. Researchers calculated the average job openings rate for the fourth quarter of 2021, the most recent quarter available, and ranked states accordingly.
Hires have failed to keep pace with soaring job openings
Additional BLS data confirms the gap between open positions and hires. After falling to 3.5% amid COVID shutdowns in April 2020, the rate of job openings has doubled to 7% over the last two years. While the rate of hiring has been above 4%—higher than typical levels historically—every month since May 2020, this figure has not been sufficient to keep up with the explosion of open positions. And employers face even more challenges with the quit rate at around 3%, meaning that they are struggling to retain employees in addition to hiring new ones.
The leisure and hospitality industry has the most job openings
But as with many aspects of the current economy, the overall statistics do not tell the full story, and the hiring outlook depends heavily on industry. Many of the sectors with the highest job openings rates have been the most challenging to work in during the pandemic. Leisure and hospitality businesses, whose workers face low wages and greater volatility in their working conditions due to the effects of COVID, have a job openings rate of 10.57%. The health care and social assistance industry, whose workers have been on the front lines of the pandemic, has a job openings rate of 8.73%. In comparison, the total nonfarm rate is 6.97%, and in fields like construction and real estate, the rate is below 5.00%.
Alaska and Hawaii have the highest job openings rates
The rate of openings is also dependent on geography. At the high end, Alaska (9.00%) and Hawaii (8.60%) have the highest job openings rates, which may in part be due to the difficulty of recruiting labor to their more remote locations. In contrast, states with rapid economic growth like Washington (6.13%) and Texas (6.47%) or with denser populations like New York (6.17%) and Connecticut (6.20%) have lower rates of openings.
The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). To determine the states with the most job openings, researchers at Commodity.com calculated the average job openings rate for the fourth quarter of 2021, the most recent quarter available. In the event of a tie, the state with the greater total number of job openings was ranked higher. Researchers also included statistics on hiring rates, total hires, and total employment.
Here are the states with the most job openings.
15. West Virginia
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- Average job openings rate: 7.47%
- Average hire rate: 5.13%
- Average monthly job openings: 56,000
- Average monthly hires: 35,667
- Average monthly employment: 694,805
14. Indiana
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- Average job openings rate: 7.47%
- Average hire rate: 4.77%
- Average monthly job openings: 251,333
- Average monthly hires: 148,000
- Average monthly employment: 3,104,895
13. Maryland
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- Average job openings rate: 7.50%
- Average hire rate: 3.80%
- Average monthly job openings: 217,667
- Average monthly hires: 102,333
- Average monthly employment: 2,692,982
12. Massachusetts
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- Average job openings rate: 7.50%
- Average hire rate: 3.70%
- Average monthly job openings: 288,667
- Average monthly hires: 132,333
- Average monthly employment: 3,576,577
11. North Carolina
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- Average job openings rate: 7.57%
- Average hire rate: 5.07%
- Average monthly job openings: 375,667
- Average monthly hires: 232,333
- Average monthly employment: 4,585,526
10. Missouri
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- Average job openings rate: 7.60%
- Average hire rate: 4.03%
- Average monthly job openings: 235,333
- Average monthly hires: 115,000
- Average monthly employment: 2,851,240
9. Vermont
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- Average job openings rate: 7.77%
- Average hire rate: 4.70%
- Average monthly job openings: 25,000
- Average monthly hires: 14,000
- Average monthly employment: 297,872
8. South Carolina
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- Average job openings rate: 7.87%
- Average hire rate: 5.57%
- Average monthly job openings: 184,667
- Average monthly hires: 120,333
- Average monthly employment: 2,161,677
7. Michigan
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- Average job openings rate: 7.90%
- Average hire rate: 4.80%
- Average monthly job openings: 365,333
- Average monthly hires: 204,000
- Average monthly employment: 4,250,000
6. Wyoming
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- Average job openings rate: 7.93%
- Average hire rate: 5.17%
- Average monthly job openings: 24,000
- Average monthly hires: 14,333
- Average monthly employment: 277,419
5. New Hampshire
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- Average job openings rate: 7.93%
- Average hire rate: 4.80%
- Average monthly job openings: 57,667
- Average monthly hires: 32,000
- Average monthly employment: 666,667
4. Georgia
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- Average job openings rate: 8.23%
- Average hire rate: 5.30%
- Average monthly job openings: 416,667
- Average monthly hires: 245,333
- Average monthly employment: 4,628,931
3. Montana
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- Average job openings rate: 8.37%
- Average hire rate: 5.40%
- Average monthly job openings: 44,667
- Average monthly hires: 26,333
- Average monthly employment: 487,654
2. Hawaii
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- Average job openings rate: 8.60%
- Average hire rate: 5.73%
- Average monthly job openings: 55,000
- Average monthly hires: 33,333
- Average monthly employment: 581,395
1. Alaska
Photo Credit: Marcus Biastock / Shutterstock
- Average job openings rate: 9.00%
- Average hire rate: 6.17%
- Average monthly job openings: 31,000
- Average monthly hires: 19,333
- Average monthly employment: 313,514
