10 states recovering the fastest from unemployment

For employees who had been taking the time to rethink where and why they work, the end of federal pandemic unemployment benefits in September truncated their plans and may have sent them back to the office.

And it seems states are already being impacted — WalletHub found that many states have seen an over 90% drop in unemployment claims in 2021, compared to 2020, hinting at a majority of people rejoining the workforce since the start of the pandemic.

"Part of what's bringing people back to work is the expiration of unemployment benefits,” says Jill Gonzalez, an analyst at WalletHub. “The U.S. currently has more job openings than people who are unemployed, which should make it easier for them to find work.”

Read more: Hourly workers want expanded benefits post-pandemic — or they’ll walk

According to the latest report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 10.4 million job openings across the country. Gonzalez also notes that higher vaccine distribution rates and lower infection rates are encouraging people to go back to work. But in the backdrop of the great resignation, it’s hard to say if those job openings will be permanently filled solely because pandemic unemployment benefits have ended. States that top the list may see more talent reshuffling rather than just talent shortages.

Here are the ten states whose workforces have recovered the fastest since the start of the pandemic.