College Graduates in US – States ranking for job openings online

In The Online College Labor Market, we analyzed job openings for college graduates in the national labor market using an important new data source: online job ads data. Using data provided by one of the leading developers of online job ads data, Burning Glass Technologies, we find the data capture a growing share of the labor market that caters to college-educated job seekers. Employers now advertise more than 60 percent of all job openings online, including 80 to 90 percent of job openings that require at least a Bachelor’s degree. In this study, we utilize these data to rank each state based on its employment prospects for college graduates. In California, Texas, and New York — the states with the largest online college labor markets — there are between 130,000 and 270,000 job ads for college graduates (Figure 1). Conversely, Wyoming, Vermont, and North Dakota— the states with the smallest online college labor markets — generate a mere 2,000 to 4,000 job ads for college graduates.

But the number of job ads alone in a particular state does not reflect the degree of labor market competitiveness because it fails to account for the pool of job seekers vying for these jobs. After controlling for these differences, we find that, on average, college graduates have the best odds of finding a job in Massachusetts, Delaware, and Washington State and face greater challenges in West Virginia, Rhode Island, and South Carolina.

However, people search for jobs within specific career fields. Therefore, job seekers should also consider how competitive a state’s labor market is within the occupation or industry in which they are seeking employment. For STEM job seekers, for example, Delaware, Massachusetts, and New York provide the best odds of landing a job, while New Mexico, West Virginia, and Maine present greater challenge. For managerial and professional office job seekers, Massachusetts, Delaware, and Washington provide the best odds, while West Virginia, Mississippi, and Vermont prove to be more difficult.

Job seekers seeking work in the consulting and business services industry have better odds of employment in Delaware, Ohio, and Massachusetts, and harder times in Rhode Island, New Mexico, and New Hampshire. Those seeking careers in the healthcare services industry have the best odds in Montana, Colorado, and Washington State and face greater challenges in West Virginia, Rhode Island, and New York.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at  States Online College Job Market: Ranking the States