The finance website WalletHub has released the results of its survey ranking the states in terms of which ones are the best places to hunt for jobs. Virginia proved to be one of the best states in the country for job seekers to get results, coming in at number eight in the rankings.
As WalletHub pointed out, job hunting is never easy. Between searching for employment openings, updating résumés, contacting references, and preparing for interviews, it’s hard work. Luckily, says the website, it’s a good time to be looking for a job as many employers are desperate to hire, which gives a lot of leverage to applicants when it comes to negotiating good compensation and benefits. Plus, the unemployment rate is 3.7% as of October 2022, close to pre-pandemic levels.
But, warns WalletHub, one thing that can make finding a job hard is not knowing where to begin looking for work, which is why narrowing the search area can be important. Since that part requires a bit of research, WalletHub did the homework to help job hunters focus on the most important task: Finding your dream position in a place you’ll love.
In order, therefore, to determine the most attractive states for employment, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 35 key indicators of job-market strength, opportunity, and a healthy economy. WalletHub’s data set ranges from employment growth to median annual income to average commute time.
According to WalletHub, the ten states that offer the most promising outcomes for a job search are 1. Washington 2. Vermont 3. New Hampshire 4. Colorado 5. Minnesota 6. Rhode Island 7. Massachusetts 8. Virginia 9. Connecticut 10. New Jersey
On the other hand, WalletHub ranked the following states as the worst places for job seekers:
- Ohio 42. Alabama 43. South Carolina 44. Pennsylvania 45. Oklahoma 46. Arkansas 47. Louisiana 48. Mississippi 49. Kentucky 50. West Virginia