By Michael Hoon
The Job Network —
It’s a whole new year, and for many people, that means it’s time to make a fresh start. That may entail settling in a new state, finding a new job, or maybe even both. If you are considering a radical life change in 2019, it might be useful to look into which states have the most thriving job markets—doing so may help you map out a game plan for the new year states with a thriving job market.
Colorado
Despite labor shortages, Colorado is still adding jobs like there’s no tomorrow. Over 2018, some 73,000 new positions opened in the Centennial State. New employees tend to be flooding in from outside of Colorado’s borders, proving that it is an attractive spot to resettle and guaranteeing that it has become a hub of new construction. Those jobs are in a wide selection of areas, from the service industry to high-tech.
Washington
As living costs in California’s Silicon Valley balloon, many techies are fleeing to Washington State. The Puget Sound tech community there is really benefitting from all those new recruits. Washington is home to such heavy hitters as Amazon, Microsoft, and Facebook. For those looking for less-intimidating employers, there are also many attractive startups popping up in Washington, and the 96,000 new jobs that needed filling in 2018 have also stimulated substantial growth in the state’s construction industry. However, the biggest growth of all has been in retail.
Texas
As oil prices spring back, Texas is feeling serious growth these days. The state began 2018 with the country’s most speedily expanding economy, and no state can compete in terms of the number of new jobs created over the year—we’re talking about 352,000 jobs here! For those who are looking for work outside of mining, there is also plentiful work in construction and health care.
Nevada
As new construction soars in Las Vegas and 37,000 new jobs have emerged over the past year, Nevada is looking like a good gamble in 2019. The state is emerging as a major provider of something the world desperately needs these days: clean energy. Near Reno, Tesla recently constructed a multi-billion dollar factory and is looking to fill it with 10,000 new employees. Other companies such as Panasonic and Switch have also set their sites on Nevada, while housing markets are getting stronger and stronger.
Utah
As industries ranging from tech to tourism to construction boom in Utah, there are many slots waiting to be filled. Over the past year, the state added approximately 50,000 jobs. The nucleus of that expansion is Wasatch Front, which is like Utah’s very own Silicon Valley. Adobe and Snap are snapping up new employees, and many of them are eager to move into the million dollar homes rapidly springing up in the area. And looking toward the . future, $1 billion dollars of road construction is also planned for the Beehive State.
Idaho
With an unemployment rate currently around 2.7%, Idaho is second only to Hawaii for the lowest percentage of unemployed citizens in the United States. Unlike Hawaii, Idaho boasts the highest rate of job growth in the country, making it an ideal place to relocate for job seekers looking for stability. In fact, the state’s whole economy is swelling with a fresh influx of new blood from big cities looking to lower their living costs.
Federal employment is at a high in Idaho, with new jobs opening at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Bureau of Labor Management. Semiconductor-developer Micron Technology in Boise and the non-profit St. Luke’s Health System are also big employers in Idaho. All of the state’s new residential and industrial construction and new job growth are practically wiping away memories of the 2007-2009 recession and ensuring that 2019 will continue a strong time in the Gem State.
