How do regional economic trends affect employers’ hiring strategies?

The map represents the Indeed job postings index by Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) across the United States as of October 31, 2025. Darker regions indicate a higher index compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Job postings are much higher in the small to medium-sized metros compared to the largest metros. For example, if you're an employer in a large metro area like Seattle, it's an employer's market, and a lot of talent is sitting on the sidelines. The population in Washington state has grown 5.3% since COVID, but job postings are down about 23%.

Compare that to South Carolina: their population growth was just around 7% over the same period, yet they have 29% more job postings now. If you’re trying to hire in Charleston, you might have a hard time finding people because its market is still so tight. But if you're willing to have somebody work from Seattle, you could find a great candidate.

Credit: Indeed

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