States With Trouble Hiring Workers: How does Louisiana Rank?

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I've always contended that WalletHub hates Louisiana... particularly Shreveport. It seems like whenever they do any ranking or study, we never fare well.  But I'm from here, and don't like seeing my home state/home town put in a bad light.  Of course, I've also said you can't argue statistics, and numbers don't lie.... so that's my conundrum. 

So, it wasn't thrilling when I heard about a new report by the personal finance website WalletHub that finds employers in Louisiana have the third biggest hiring struggle in the U-S. WalletHub Analyst Jill Gonzales says in the last month it comes to around 7.4 percent which is significantly higher than other states… 

“In New York, that number is like four and a half percent. So in Louisiana, it’s almost double what it is in some states that are not struggling to hire at all.”  

It seems like you can't swing a dead cat without running into a "Now Hiring" sign on a local business. Louisiana’s job opening rate fell below Alaska at 7.9 percent and tied with West Virginia at 7.4 in the latest month. Gonzales says wages, benefits, and a flexible work schedule is critical in attracting employees… 

“Some companies are trying to raise wages or trying to offer maybe some better benefits. But when it comes to healthcare benefits, that’s what people seem to be wanting the most right now. Some of that just is not going to happen.” 

Another thing COVID affected is the willingness of today's work force to actually... GO to work.  Gonzales says employers who are able to continue to accommodate employees working from home are going to find themselves at a competitive advantage in recruiting. She says in this labor market, workers feel less tied down to a job. 

“Employers really need to be supporting policies that have some type of social safety net that makes it possible for workers to change jobs without threatening they’re own or their family support.” 

 

Another way to look at it... nobody wants to work anymore.... The labor force participation rate is at 63 percent, one of the lowest rates in decades.