The 10 toughest states to hire workers right now

It has now been over a year since the Great Resignation emerged in the United States, with four million Americans quitting their jobs April of 2021 — and it seems that trend is destined to continue.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4.5 million workers quit their jobs in March 2022. Nationwide, there are 11.5 million job openings, setting a record for the 20-year-old Bureau of Labor Statistics survey. However, states are not experiencing the Great Resignation equally, and employers may find themselves having a harder time hiring in some states compared to others, says Jill Gonzalez, an analyst at personal finance resource WalletHub.

“This is an indication that the Great Resignation has not ended,” says Gonzalez. “Employers and employees aren't able to find common ground in terms of working from home, and employers are still adapting to the changing labor market.”

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States with fewer remote work opportunities like Alaska and Montana have ranked in the top 10 worst states for hiring, according to WalletHub. Meanwhile, states with typically lower income averages like South Carolina, Idaho and Kentucky have also ranked poorly, hinting that a lack of competitive wages plays a part too, explains Gonzalez. 

Here are 10 states where employers are struggling the most to hire workers, based on the states’ latest job-openings rates and their job-opening rates in the last 12 months.