DALLAS — Odds might be better for job hunters in the Northeast or Midwest than those in the southern U.S. That’s according to a job availability report compiled by TOP Data, a division of marketing and data insights firm TOP.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused global job postings to drop more than 33% since 2019, according to the report. Year over year, there are one-third fewer available jobs with close to four times as many job seekers.
To compile and analyze available job postings by region and state, TOP Data utilized Indeed.com’s API in April and May. Regions and states were then measured by the number of available jobs per 100,000 people.
While hiring is expected to increase once shelter-in-place orders begin to lift in varying degrees, the current outlook is bleak in Texas.
Per TOP’s measurement, there are 647 available jobs per every 100,000 people in Texas. For entry level jobs – a figure that is front-of-mind as thousands matriculate from colleges this month – there are 510 for every 100,000.
Click here to see how all 50 states rank for job availability during COVID-19.
Last week, close 142,000 more Texans filed for unemployment, according to the Bureau of Labor’s weekly report. Volatility brought on by the coronavirus in conjunction with oil’s collapse has left a reported 2 million without jobs.
While TOP’s methodology cannot take into account all available jobs or those posts that might be awaiting folks that were furloughed, it does reveal some of the challenges facing those seeking employment.
There was some optimism for Texans in TOP’s analysis. Available jobs showed improvement with new postings rising 2.91 percent between April 22 and May 8. That period includes new phases of reopening for the state.
California, which is the most populous state, has 569 available jobs per 100,000 people, according to the report. Florida, which is the third most populous state behind Texas, has 667.
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