Michigan Bucks National Hiring Slowdown as Job Openings Rise 9% While 42 States See Declines, Study Shows
Photo by Tim Mossholder
Article courtesy of ResumeCoach.
- West Virginia sat at the top with an opening rate of 5.8%, 38% above the national average, while Hawaii sat at the bottom with 3.1%.
- About 491,000 open positions vanished in just six months from June to December 2025 – the national average dropped from 4.4% to 4.2%.
- Idaho stood out from the national trend; its rate went from 4.6% to 5.0% while nearly every other state in the top ten shrank. Michigan is also an outlier, with a 0.3 percentage points increase over the period.
In 42 of 50 states, the job openings rate fell between June and December 2025, as nearly half a million vacancies disappeared from the market in just six months.
New research from ResumeCoach, which crunched the numbers using Bureau of Labor Statistics data, shows that while hiring demand cooled across most of the country, the slowdown played out very differently from state to state.
The 10 states with the highest job openings rates in America
| Rank | State | Job openings rate (Dec 2025) | Openings (Dec 2025) | Change in rate from June to December 2025 (percentage points) | Change in openings from June to December 2025 |
| 1 | West Virginia | 5.8% | 44,000 | -0.2 | -2,000 |
| 2 | Oklahoma | 5.3% | 101,000 | -0.1 | -1,000 |
| 3 | Georgia | 5.2% | 275,000 | -0.2 | -11,000 |
| 4 | Idaho | 5.0% | 47,000 | +0.4 | +4,000 |
| 5 | Mississippi | 4.8% | 61,000 | -0.3 | -3,000 |
| =6 | Minnesota | 4.7% | 150,000 | -0.2 | -7,000 |
| =6 | Virginia | 4.7% | 210,000 | -0.7 | -36,000 |
| 7 | Ohio | 4.6% | 278,000 | +0.1 | +9,000 |
| =8 | Alaska | 4.5% | 16,000 | -0.5 | -2,000 |
| =8 | Arkansas | 4.5% | 65,000 | -0.8 | -13,000 |
| =8 | Kansas | 4.5% | 68,000 | +0.1 | 0 |
| =8 | Louisiana | 4.5% | 95,000 | -0.4 | -9,000 |
| =8 | North Dakota | 4.5% | 21,000 | +0.1 | 0 |
| =8 | South Carolina | 4.5% | 113,000 | -1.1 | -30,000 |
| =9 | Maryland | 4.3% | 126,000 | -0.5 | -16,000 |
| =9 | Michigan | 4.3% | 205,000 | +0.3 | +17,000 |
| =9 | Missouri | 4.3% | 136,000 | 0.0 | -1,000 |
| =9 | North Carolina | 4.3% | 231,000 | -1.3 | -70,000 |
| =9 | Rhode Island | 4.3% | 23,000 | -0.7 | -4,000 |
| =10 | Alabama | 4.2% | 98,000 | -0.7 | -17,000 |
| =10 | Delaware | 4.2% | 22,000 | -0.3 | -1,000 |
West Virginia’s 5.8% job openings rate equated to about 44,000 open positions, 38% above the national average. That is down slightly from 6.0% in June, when there were 46,000 openings, but the state remains comfortably on top.
Second place went to Oklahoma, where a 5.3% job openings rate – around 101,000 vacancies – sits more than a quarter above the national average, but still marginally down from 5.4% in June.
Georgia ranked third with a 5.2% job openings rate, with around 275,000 vacancies, 24% above the national average and the second-highest in the top 10, after Ohio. The total is down slightly from 286,000 in June.
Idaho’s job openings rate rose from 4.6% in June to 5.0% in December, making it one of the few states to see an increase over the period. The state ended with around 4,000 more openings than it started, with a 9% gain.
Fifth place went to Mississippi, where a 4.8% job openings rate, around 61,000 vacancies, remains well above the national average, despite dropping from 5.1% in June.
Sixth place was a tie at 4.7%, shared by Minnesota and Virginia. Minnesota’s rate fell from 4.9%, with around 7,000 fewer vacancies bringing its total to 150,000. Virginia saw a much sharper drop, falling from 5.4% to 4.7% and losing about 36,000 positions, a 15% decline.
Ohio ranked seventh with a 4.6% job openings rate and around 278,000 vacancies – the highest total in the top ten. Like Idaho, it grew in an otherwise shrinking market, with the rate up from 4.5% and around 9,000 more openings than in June.
Six states tied for eighth at 4.5%: Alaska, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, North Dakota, and South Carolina. Their paths to that point, however, varied widely. South Carolina dropped from 5.6% in June, losing 1.1 percentage points and around 30,000 openings. Arkansas also saw a notable decline, falling from 5.3% and shedding about 17% of its vacancies. Kansas and North Dakota, by contrast, posted virtually identical figures to six months earlier.
Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, and Rhode Island tied for ninth at 4.3%. North Carolina saw one of the steepest declines, losing around 70,000 openings as its rate fell from 5.6% to 4.3% – a 23% drop. Michigan, by contrast, was an outlier, with its rate rising from 4.0% to 4.3% and ending December with about 205,000 openings, roughly 17,000 more than in June.
Alabama and Delaware tied for tenth at 4.2%, in line with the national average. Alabama had about 98,000 openings, down roughly 15% from June, while Delaware stood at around 22,000, largely unchanged.
The 5 states with the fewest job openings in America
| Rank | State | Job openings rate (Dec 2025) | Openings (Dec 2025) | Change in rate from June to December 2025 (percentage points) | Change in openings from June to December 2025 |
| 1 | Hawaii | 3.1% | 21,000 | -0.7 | -5,000 |
| =2 | Washington | 3.2% | 121,000 | -0.5 | -21,000 |
| =2 | California | 3.2% | 588,000 | -0.6 | -114,000 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 3.3% | 129,000 | -1.4 | -54,000 |
| =4 | Vermont | 3.4% | 11,000 | -1.7 | -6,000 |
| =4 | New Hampshire | 3.4% | 25,000 | -1.7 | -13,000 |
| =4 | Illinois | 3.4% | 219,000 | -1.0 | -63,000 |
| =5 | New Mexico | 3.5% | 33,000 | -1.6 | -16,000 |
| =5 | Colorado | 3.5% | 110,000 | -0.9 | -26,000 |
Hawaii recorded the lowest job openings rate in the country at 3.1%, with around 21,000 vacancies – 26% below the national average. This is down from 3.8% in June.
California and Washington both posted a 3.2% job openings rate, 24% below the national average. California still recorded around 588,000 vacancies – second only to Texas – despite losing 114,000 since June, second only to New York’s decline of roughly 150,000. Washington, meanwhile, had about 121,000 openings, down 15% over the same period.
Massachusetts came in at 3.3% with 129,000 vacancies. It shed 54,000 openings since June – a 30% drop in six months.
Vermont, New Hampshire, and Illinois are level at 3.4%, though they got there in different ways. Vermont posted one of the steepest drops, down 1.7 percentage points. New Hampshire’s openings fell from 38,000 to 25,000, while Illinois saw a more measured decline, shedding around 63,000 roles as its rate dropped by 1.0 percentage point.
New Mexico and Colorado are tied at a 3.5% job openings rate, but the scale tells a different story. New Mexico has around 33,000 vacancies after a steep drop from 5.1% in June. Colorado still has roughly 110,000 open roles, with its rate slipping more gently from 4.4%.
Just five states recorded an increase in vacancies between June and December: Idaho, Ohio, Michigan, Texas and South Dakota. Missouri, Kansas and North Dakota were largely unchanged, while the remaining 42 states saw declines.
“Right now, your chances of finding a job depend heavily on your location,” a spokesperson from ResumeCoach said. “The gap between the top and the bottom is stark – West Virginia is running at roughly double Hawaii’s rate, and nothing we saw in the data suggests that this gap is closing any time soon.
“What’s surprising is how fast North Carolina’s market cooled. Six months ago it looked like one of the strongest hiring states in the country. That kind of swing should be a wake-up call for anyone assuming their local market will stay hot.
“Only five states added jobs when almost nobody else did, and Idaho and Michigan were the two states that had the biggest increase, though still moderate. Still, a 9% increase when the national picture is one of contraction is notable, and jobseekers in the state are in a relatively strong position compared to most of the country.
“If you are hunting for a job right now, these numbers suggest that your zip code probably matters nearly as much as your resume.”
Methodology
Using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ResumeCoach found and compared the total number of job openings in each state during June 2025 and December 2025. The states were then ranked by their December 2025 rates and compared to the national average.
| Rank | State | Job openings rate
(Dec 2025) |
Openings (Dec 2025) | Change in rate from June to December 2025 (percentage points) | Change in openings from June to December 2025 |
| 1 | West Virginia | 5.8% | 44,000 | -0.2 | -2,000 |
| 2 | Oklahoma | 5.3% | 101,000 | -0.1 | -1,000 |
| 3 | Georgia | 5.2% | 275,000 | -0.2 | -11,000 |
| 4 | Idaho | 5.0% | 47,000 | +0.4 | +4,000 |
| 5 | Mississippi | 4.8% | 61,000 | -0.3 | -3,000 |
| =6 | Minnesota | 4.7% | 150,000 | -0.2 | -7,000 |
| =6 | Virginia | 4.7% | 210,000 | -0.7 | -36,000 |
| 7 | Ohio | 4.6% | 278,000 | +0.1 | +9,000 |
| =8 | Alaska | 4.5% | 16,000 | -0.5 | -2,000 |
| =8 | Arkansas | 4.5% | 65,000 | -0.8 | -13,000 |
| =8 | Kansas | 4.5% | 68,000 | +0.1 | 0 |
| =8 | Louisiana | 4.5% | 95,000 | -0.4 | -9,000 |
| =8 | North Dakota | 4.5% | 21,000 | +0.1 | 0 |
| =8 | South Carolina | 4.5% | 113,000 | -1.1 | -30,000 |
| =9 | Maryland | 4.3% | 126,000 | -0.5 | -16,000 |
| =9 | Michigan | 4.3% | 205,000 | +0.3 | +17,000 |
| =9 | Missouri | 4.3% | 136,000 | 0.0 | -1,000 |
| =9 | North Carolina | 4.3% | 231,000 | -1.3 | -70,000 |
| =9 | Rhode Island | 4.3% | 23,000 | -0.7 | -4,000 |
| =10 | Alabama | 4.2% | 98,000 | -0.7 | -17,000 |
| =10 | Delaware | 4.2% | 22,000 | -0.3 | -1,000 |
| =11 | Florida | 4.1% | 427,000 | -0.4 | -47,000 |
| =11 | Kentucky | 4.1% | 88,000 | -0.7 | -17,000 |
| =11 | Maine | 4.1% | 28,000 | -1.5 | -11,000 |
| =11 | Montana | 4.1% | 23,000 | -1.3 | -7,000 |
| =11 | South Dakota | 4.1% | 20,000 | +0.2 | +1,000 |
| =12 | Tennessee | 4.0% | 141,000 | -1.1 | -42,000 |
| =12 | Texas | 4.0% | 603,000 | +0.1 | +28,000 |
| 13 | Iowa | 3.9% | 65,000 | -0.1 | -1,000 |
| =14 | Connecticut | 3.8% | 68,000 | -0.5 | -9,000 |
| =14 | Wisconsin | 3.8% | 119,000 | -0.3 | -10,000 |
| =15 | Indiana | 3.7% | 126,000 | -0.2 | -9,000 |
| =15 | Nebraska | 3.7% | 40,000 | -0.3 | -5,000 |
| =15 | New Jersey | 3.7% | 167,000 | -0.8 | -38,000 |
| =15 | Oregon | 3.7% | 78,000 | -0.6 | -13,000 |
| =15 | Pennsylvania | 3.7% | 243,000 | -0.2 | -8,000 |
| =16 | Arizona | 3.6% | 122,000 | -0.8 | -27,000 |
| =16 | Nevada | 3.6% | 58,000 | -0.5 | -9,000 |
| =16 | New York | 3.6% | 372,000 | -1.4 | -150,000 |
| =16 | Utah | 3.6% | 67,000 | -0.6 | -10,000 |
| =16 | Wyoming | 3.6% | 11,000 | -1.2 | -4,000 |
| =17 | Colorado | 3.5% | 110,000 | -0.9 | -26,000 |
| =17 | New Mexico | 3.5% | 33,000 | -1.6 | -16,000 |
| =18 | Illinois | 3.4% | 219,000 | -1.0 | -63,000 |
| =18 | New Hampshire | 3.4% | 25,000 | -1.7 | -13,000 |
| =18 | Vermont | 3.4% | 11,000 | -1.7 | -6,000 |
| 19 | Massachusetts | 3.3% | 129,000 | -1.4 | -54,000 |
| =20 | California | 3.2% | 588,000 | -0.6 | -114,000 |
| =20 | Washington | 3.2% | 121,000 | -0.5 | -21,000 |
| 21 | Hawaii | 3.1% | 21,000 | -0.7 | -5,000 |
