An analysis by Resume.io of more than 100,000 LinkedIn job ads revealed that Washington has the most competitive U.S. job market, driven by a vast increase in applicants per role in the Seattle area. There are 41.00 applicants per job in Washington, significantly more than the next most competitive states, Colorado (28.11) and Massachusetts (27.81).
Due to recent tech layoffs, job competition in Seattle is increasing at the fastest rate in the world. The number of applicants per job has risen from 7.5 to 40.9 (+445.4%) in the past 12 months. Globally, Luxembourg, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Houston, San Diego, and Los Angeles have all seen competition rates double since 2023.
This skyrocketing trend places Seattle in the top 10 most competitive U.S. cities. With about 35% percent of Seattle residents still working from home – compared to a U.S. average of 15% – the Emerald City is an attractive prospect to would-be employees. Tech layoffs have added thousands of job seekers to the local market.
The data shows that competition for jobs has increased across the U.S. and throughout most of the world in the past year. Other key findings included that Dubai has the world’s most competitive job market, that the average job ad in San Jose, California, attracts the most applicants of any U.S. city, and that Wyoming is the least competitive state in which to find a job, with an average of 3.64 applicants per LinkedIn ad.
While hiring rates, quit rates and job openings per unemployed worker have returned to early 2020 levels in the U.S., the country’s unemployment has reached a historically low mark and there are significantly more job openings than before the pandemic. Similar trends are being seen worldwide.
This post was based on information found on Resume.io.