Location, location, location. When it comes to your job search, location really is everything; your success in the workforce can even be dependent on it. TheLadders discovered that approximately 35 percent of job seekers actually want a change of scenery – do they know something the rest of us don’t? Could relocation be the best option for your career? Or maybe it’s time to pivot to go in a direction more suited to your particular job market.
Assuming it’s beneficial, how do you predict your next career move in today’s volatile market?
Never fear, TheLadders’ new job demand map is here to help you visualize where the opportunities are for you in your career. Sure, the job market is fickle, but TheLadders is here to help you navigate it. With the new, interactive map, you can see where the highest demand is for a professional like you – and where the highest salary aligns with that demand.
To get this highly accurate picture of the job market, TheLadders dug deep into information from our database of 7 million+ professionals. Our data team compared the number of job seekers who recently conveyed that they’re seeking new opportunities to the number of current job listings for over 2,000 titles (names of roles we compiled from analyzing the positions each job seeker conveyed they’d be a qualified candidate for). To help professionals make the right career moves, we then created a real-time map to illustrate the current demand for these 2,000 positions, based on the ratio of job listings in an area to job seekers applying for that role in the United States.
Want to know where your job has the most demand? You can use the “Search” bar to enter the job title of your choice. The map provides a visual display of where the highest demand for that job is, and the corresponding chart shows how the salary varies depending on location.
Let’s take a look at a few major industries below, to see how the job market for each varies based on location.
Technology
In general, those who seek a thriving technology market — high demand, high competition — can’t go wrong with San Francisco. For a comparable amount of job opportunities, but significantly less competition, Washington D.C. and Boston are also options. However, as you’ll see, even if the job market for an industry is generally good in one area, a specific role within that industry might be popular elsewhere.
It appears, by glancing at the “trending jobs” list (on the full page), that software developers have the biggest advantage in this job market — they enjoy the most available job listings, as well as the highest average salary in the U.S. However, if you search “Software Developer” for a more in-depth analaysis on the demand and salary distribution, you’ll see a huge disaparity in job opportunity. In cities with high demand for the position, like Indianapolis, for example, the pay is only $99K – lower than the national average of $109K. For a salary closer to this amount, candidates would have to apply for positions in South Bend, Indiana, where the pay is $107K but competition is fierece and job opportunities are slim.
Finance
Those in the finance industry might consider moving away from the east coast and heading west – the midwest and west coast are brimming with open finance roles.
Financial Analysts should pack up and move to Omaha, Nebraska tomorrow, as the demand for the role surpasses anywhere in the United States, and the proposed salary exceeds $100K, but with the cost of living factored in, feels like $115K! Compare this to San Francisco, and the heartland seems like a great option – in the Bay Area salaries are around $122K, but when adjusted for the cost of living only feel like $73K. Financial Advisors can enjoy a favorable job market throughout all major cities in the midewest and Texas, as well as in the southwest.
Contrary to other markets and what you may believe about Wall Street, it seems New York City is not your best bet for finding well-paying work quickly; after a long stroll down the list it was found at the 45th spot based on pay and demand. So look elsewhere, as you are spared from the nerve-racking competition and long hours!
Sales
If you’re in sales, you’re in luck! Take a look at the map below. Just about every state has recruiters clamoring for sales managers. You have your pick of the market! If you offer expertise in numerous fields, your resume will make it to the top of the pile in hot markets like San Francisco and Boston. Professionals in the sales industry benefit from a hot market right now, as you’ll notice the amount of available job listings for the trending positions greatly surpasses the number of active postings in the other industries.
Additional background in business or communications might guarantee you an open role. For example, the role “Sales and Marketing Manager” yields high job opportunities in all corners of the U.S., from Seattle to Miami.
Out of the national trending jobs, “Business Developer” brings home the largest average salary and offers the most open positions. So while those with only “sales” in their title needn’t worry — a search for “Sales Manager” shows high job opportunity nationwide.
So while the job search can be intimidating, a well-planned approach will help you find a new position in no time — whether you’re staying local or pursuing opportunities elsewhere. So remember, while job opportunities for a role may be scarce on one side of the coast, there could be thousands of open positions just a few hours away!
Source: Hope Restle (Ladders)