At its peak, the unemployment rate in 2020 was about 15%, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although recovering, the national unemployment rate is 6.7%, according to the most recent jobs report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That still leaves plenty of Americans looking for work.
How successful these Americans will be finding a job depends on many factors, not the least of which is where they live.
Financial website WalletHub looked at more than 150 U.S. cities to determine where you are most likely to find employment right now.
In order to determine the best job markets, WalletHub compared 182 cities — including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across two key dimensions, job market and socio-economics. It assigned a heavier weight to the former because that category more heavily influences a job seeker’s decision in terms of relocation.
WalletHub then evaluated the two dimensions using 32 relevant metrics, each of which metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for job seekers.
If you’re able to relocate, you might want to head north. South Burlington, Vermont, took the top spot, with an overall score of 66.53. It finished No. 3 in job market and No. 2 in socio-economics.
Rounding out the top three spots were Columbia, Maryland, in second place and Virginia Beach, Virginia in third, with scores of 64.01 and 63.64, respectively.
Those who want to stay in Atlanta still have a fair shot at finding a job. The city ranked No. 49, which is in the top 26%, with an overall score of 55.66. Atlanta finished No. 68 in job market and No. 40 in socio-economics.
Georgia’s other two cities in the rankings were a bit farther down. Augusta came in at No. 144, with an overall score of 45.43, and Columbus was No. 153, scoring 44.55.
“As employers adapt to evolving market demands, general fields that will see higher levels of growth and new job opportunities are in the areas of healthcare, financial services, information technology, and data security, software development, energy, data science and mathematics, analysts, and management,” Darren Brooks, assistant chairman of the Department of Management and executive director of the Center for Human Resource Management at Florida State University’s College of Business, told WalletHub. “Specifically, my research suggests growth over the next 3 to 5 years in the areas of:
“Healthcare. We are seeing demand in this field for both clinical and administrative jobs. Interestingly, according to the BLS, the area of home health is one of the fastest-growing career areas with approximately 1.2 million jobs being created between 2019-2029. Additionally, administrators in healthcare industries are projected to see a 32 percent growth in job opportunities over the next decade.
“Technology. This is a broad area that contains everything from software development to information and data security to artificial intelligence. As technology continues to become integrated with all jobs, including lower-skilled jobs, technology professionals will continue to be in demand.
“Financial Services. Given the importance of financial management for individuals and organizations, financial management jobs are anticipated to grow by 15 percent over the next decade.
“Management. Managers, human resource professionals, consultants, and management analysts will continue to grow as organizations need professionals to help lead and manage turbulent times and changes in consumer demand. The BLS estimates approximately 500,000 new jobs will be created in this area over the next decade.
“Data Science/Operational Research/Mathematics. There are numerous occupations within this category. As a field, the need for jobs that analyzing data to inform organizational decisions is projected to see an increase of 31 percent.
“For additional information on specific jobs details and growth forecasts in these areas as well as the topics relating to the future of work, I recommend visiting the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook or contact the Florida State University Center for Human Resource Management.”
