America's best (and worst) states for job hunters REVEALED - and why you may be better off seeking work in Nevada than Mississippi

Nevada added the most jobs in the year to December 2023, latest data reveals Job hunters might have less luck in Mississippi, where jobs declined last yearUnemployment in the US remains low overall at 3.7 percent, but varies by state 

If you are finding it hard to get a job, it could be down to where you live.

Unemployment in the US remains low overall at 3.7 percent, and a blockbuster report earlier this month showed that the economy added 353,000 jobs in January – blowing economists’ expectations out of the water.

But when it comes to finding work, some places have much more competitive jobs markets than others.

Jobseekers are likely to have the best luck in Nevada, according to latest data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In the year to December 2023, employment grew 3.7 percent in the state – the highest in the country.

Your browser does not support iframes.

This represents a net gain of 57,700 nonfarm jobs in the year.

Nonfarm workers exclude farm workers, private household and non-profit employees and actively serving military.

Following Nevada, Idaho and South Dakota both posted a 3 percent jobs gain – representing 25,000 and 13,800 new positions, respectively.

Idaho’s largest industry is the science and technology sector, while South Dakota is primarily driven by agricultural and energy industries.

Unemployment in the US remains low overall at 3.7 percent, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data

Employment in Wyoming grew 2.8 percent, while Texas posted a year-on-year gain of 2.7 percent.

The Lone Star State, which is among the most populated states in the country, saw the largest number of job gains at 369,000.

California added 311,600 jobs, while Florida added 240,600 in the year to December 2023.

Nevada and its most populous city of Las Vegas, has a unique job market, according to experts.

David Schmidt, chief economist at the state’s Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, said the state has a ‘weird paradox’ of fast employment growth alongside a high unemployment rate.

As of December last year, the unemployment rate in the state was 5.4 percent – due to the ongoing recovery of the accommodation, food service and entertainment industries after the pandemic.

But the end of 2023 marked a change, according to Schmidt.

‘Nevada ended 2023 continuing to add jobs at a brisk pace while maintaining stable unemployment,’ he said in a statement.

‘For the first time, the accommodation and food service industry employs more people than before the pandemic, and seasonal retail hiring increased above the level seen from 2018 to 2022.’

Nevada and its most populous city of Las Vegas, has a unique job market, according to experts

At the other end of the spectrum, Mississippi appears to have been the worst state for job hunters last year as it was the only one where the number of jobs declined.

The state posted a 0.7 percent decrease, representing a net loss of 7,800 jobs.

Rhode Island was also on the weak side, with just a 0.4 percent gain, while Vermont saw a 0.5 percent increase – representing a 1,900 and 1,400 change, respectively.

Next was Iowa, with a 0.6 percent year-on-year increase, while jobs in Tennessee increased 0.7 percent.

January’s shock jobs report comes amid a slew of high-profile layoffs in different sectors.

The US economy added 353,000 jobs in January – blowing economists’ expectations out of the water

Billionaire CEO Elon Musk has recently placed an emphasis on cost-cutting at Tesla amidst a marked slowdown of its sales growth

Tech firms Microsoft and PayPal have both announced they are letting workers go this year.

Delivery firm UPS, meanwhile, announced that it will make 12,000 job cuts after the company’s income fell by $1.87billion.

In a post-earnings call earlier this year, the package delivery company said the income decline is a result of higher union labor costs and softer demand.

‘2023 was a unique and difficult year. Through it all we remained focused on controlling what we could control, stayed on strategy and strengthened out foundation for future growth,’ CEO Carol Tomé said.

Tesla also stoked lay-off fears this week after managers were reportedly asked to establish which of their workers’ jobs were critical.

According to the Labor Department, professional and business services were among sectors seeing job gains in January, alongside health care and retail trade.

But it added that employment fell in areas like mining, as well as the oil and gas extraction industry.