I often show the Fed’s chart of the ratio of workers to job openings in my Control Panel. This covers the whole country.
But there are dramatic differences between states. Location, location, location. Some of the most worker-favorable locations also have low cost of living.
Some high cost-of-living states, like CA, NJ and WA, also have tough job markets where workers dramatically outnumber jobs. That’s a recipe for social discontent.
That’s when you build a church or massive fighting arena to placate and entertain the masses. At least that’s what I remember from playing Civilization back in the day…
Worker favorability depends on more than just the number of workers to job openings. With federal protections for workers and individuals slip-sliding to states, not every state is playing by the same rules. Minimum wage rules, worker health and safety protections, right-to-work rules, and even things like women’s health restrictions may come into play if someone wants to emigrate to another state.
There’s something to be said for a strong-handed federal government, it allows for “freer” movement of capital and labor throughout the country.
PS - please don’t yell at me for being political, I’m trying hard here…
