Examining the national job landscape in 2018

With three months down in 2018, enough time has passed to gain an accurate assessment on the job market nationwide and find out what jobs are trending, declining, and what areas are most friendly for finding a new career.

The job market is always in a state of rapid change, and being able to pinpoint where to look for the best jobs, or what your next career path looks like, can be the difference between finding something you love, and finding something that makes you feel burnt out in a short period of time.

The team over at ZipRecruiter – an employment marketplace for job searches– shared their input and what their data has shown so far in 2018 to get a better understanding of the job landscape.

“Overall, it’s a great time to be looking for a job, across all industries,” said Janet Lamwatthananon, a career advisor at ZipRecruiter. “Unemployment is low, and the economy is creating jobs at an average pace of 250,000 a month. Two industries in particular that are growing are healthcare and manufacturing, which have plenty of openings and pay well.”

Where are the best job markets?

At first thought, it would seem big cities on the West and East coasts would have the most job opportunities, but so far in 2018, that’s no longer the case.

“The Midwest is hot right now,” Lamwatthananon said. “Jobs are on the upswing, which combined with a lower cost of living than on the coasts, makes the region an appealing destination for job seekers. That’s especially true for younger job seekers, who often have sizeable student loans to pay off and are looking for an affordable place to launch their careers.”

According to data by ZipRecruiter, the top 10 best job markets in 2018 include:

-Fargo, North Dakota

-Columbia, Missouri

-Oshkosh, Wisconsin

-Honolulu, Hawaii

-Ames, Iowa

-Lincoln, Nebraska

-Lewiston, Idaho

-Des Moines, Iowa

-Wausau, Wisconsin

-Minneapolis, Minnesota

ZipRecruiter based this information on a variety of factors that included the availability of jobs, industry diversity, unemployment, earnings, and community.

According to ZipRecruiter, today’s hiring landscape is a job seeker’s market. Unemployment is at an 18-year low, and in January, 200,000 new jobs were added to the marketplace. Additionally, wages grew at the fastest rate since 2008, making for an even better job seeker market.

“We aren’t seeing any declines in any fields,” Lamwatthananon said. “Right now, the economy is firing on all cylinders. It’s a great time to get out there and find a job, or if you have a job, to start looking for a new position that pays higher wages.”

The most searched job title keywords so far in 2018 include: warehouse, customer service, cashier, sales, part-time, customer service representative, healthcare, manager, administrative assistant, and electrician.

According to the data provided, warehouse employee is the hottest job of 2018. Job seekers have searched the keyword over 19 million times in just the first two months of the year, with people in this field typically working large warehouse settings that involve processing, fulfilling, and loading shipments.

With the top 10 cities mentioned in the section above, the top job categories for these cities included: physical therapy, sales, truck driving, real estate, software, construction, human resources, accounting, and nutrition.

“The top 10 most searched job industries include a wide-range of professions,” said ZipRecruiter in a press release. “Healthcare related searches took the top spot, with 77,844,317 total searchers, while the 10th most searched industry (government) had 10,804,357 searches. While retail, healthcare, and manufacturing industry searches align with top searches for title keywords and categories, other top searched industries were more surprising. Industries like science, government, and technology are typically associated with highly-educated, highly-skilled job seekers. The appearance of those industries on our list could be a clue that a wider variety of job seekers are considering switching companies or jobs than the other two lists suggest.”

A welcoming career path

For those looking for an opportunity that could potentially grow into a career, one company that should be highly considered is the moving company TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®.

For more than 30 years, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK has established itself as a leader in the moving industry, providing a small-town feel across 350 locations in the United States. There is a strong emphasis on hiring people who work within the communities they operate, creating a sense of recognition for customers and a welcoming experience for new employees.

This past month, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK completed their sixth annual Career Move Month campaign, where the company set out to receive 15,000 job applications and make 1,500 hires throughout their system during the month-long period, goals they were able to surpass.

Although the campaign ended at the start of April, the company still has plenty of opportunity for new hires. From movers to drivers, managers to supervisors, and at their Home Office location in Lansing, Mich., they are seeking talented employees to continue to build their staffs.

“Every day, we get to meet new and interesting people out on our jobs,” said Traivonne Brown, a mover and driver with the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Dallas location. “The customers make every single day exciting.”

The same sentiment is echoed by employees throughout the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK frontline staff, and the framework of the job allows them to go out and make a difference in people’s lives.

“The atmosphere becomes like a family,” said Luis Vega, a mover and driver at the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Dallas location. “We work hard and enjoy getting to know each other and how to focus on our strengths as a team. TWO MEN AND A TRUCK also makes sure that you get rewarded for your hard work, and it’s a really fun company to work for.”

Click here to find out more about some of the current employment opportunities being offered by TWO MEN AND A TRUCK.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is the first and largest franchised moving company in the United States. Let us help move you forward! For more helpful tips and information on moving services subscribe to our blog and like us on Facebook.

Should you move across the ocean for love or not?

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Have you fallen in love with someone who’s on the other side of the ocean? Would you like to move closer to them in order to make your relationship work out? With Valentine’s Day approaching, many people are thinking of moving internationally for love. However, an international relocation is not something to take for granted. It’s a serious decision that needs to be thoroughly thought through. If you’ve been wondering whether you should follow your heart and begin planning your move closer to your significant other, or just stay where you are, we have some useful tips for you!

Here are some things to consider before you make your decision:

• Your financial situation

Obviously, before you take further action, you need to consider whether you will be able to not only afford an international relocation, but also continue to live comfortably once you’re settled in. In order to be able to live a comfortable life, you would need to find a job in your field once you move. If you have figured out your financial situation, as well as your job, there isn’t anything holding you back, at least not regarding of your budget.

• Future of your relationship

Another somewhat important thing to take into consideration is where your relationship is heading. Of course, if you’re considering moving across the ocean for that person, things are already serious. However, you need to think about the future of your relationship and whether you think it’s going to become a long-term thing or not. If you’re convinced that you’re going to spend a long time in this relationship, or even take it to the next step and get married, then there’s no doubt that you should move!

• Who you’re moving for

There are several questions that you should ask yourself before making your decision, and one of them is whether you’re moving because of your desire to do so, or you’re only doing it to please your partner. It is essential that you’re both on the same page when it comes to feelings. Did your SO ask you to move for them, or is this your own choice? If you’re confident in your decision to move, then you should go for it!

• Where you’re moving

Would you be comfortable with living in the city where your partner is currently residing? Will you be able to function properly, and find a job and make new friends? Most people find it easy to adjust to a new chapter in life. After all, it may turn out to be a great experience!

• What happens when it’s over

This is the hard part, but you should at least ask yourself once: What happens when you break up? It is crucial that you’re independent enough to be able to continue living your life normally if the relationship does come to an end. Otherwise, you may be forced to move back home.

Have you decided to follow your heart and embark on a journey across the ocean for love? We fully support your decision! My International Movers would like to offer you some of the best international moving services. Apart from residential relocation plans, we also provide car shipping, air freight, ocean freight, and so much more! If you would like to learn more or hire our team for your move, please do not hesitate to contact My International Movers! Our team will be patiently awaiting your call.

Has the stamp duty cut made property more expensive for first-time buyers?

It was the Budget announcement that dominated all the headlines and seemed to give first-time buyers extra hope of making their home-buying ambitions a reality. But is the Stamp Duty exemption really making a difference to first-time buyers?

Philip Hammond’s abolition of stamp duty for first-time buyers on homes worth up to £300,000 was met with cautious optimism and seen as a welcome shot in the arm for first-timers struggling to get on the property ladder.
 
Now, however, questions are starting to be asked about the effectiveness of the cut and whether or not it’s actually making things more difficult for this demographic.

A quick recap

First, a quick recap of what was announced last November. In a move that had been mooted but was still seen as hugely significant, Hammond revealed that stamp duty would be removed immediately for first-time buyers purchasing homes worth up to £300,000, while buyers in London and other more expensive areas would pay no stamp duty on the first £300,000 of the cost of homes valued up to £500,000 (with the remaining cost incurring a 5% charge).
 
It was said that this would free 80% of first-time buyers from having to pay any stamp duty at all, while 95% of all first-time buyers would benefit from a reduction in their tax bill.
 
Shortly after the measure was announced, we took a look at how it might affect first-time buyers, with early criticism from the Resolution Foundation about how the stamp duty cut would inflate house prices by more than first-time buyers would save, while the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said the policy would only help 3,500 first-time purchasers.

On the other hand, it was argued that buyers with smaller deposits would be more likely to benefit, as well as those buying up cheaper properties where the inflation in house prices would be comfortably offset by the savings made from not paying stamp duty.

What’s happened since?

Since Hammond’s announcement there has been a mixed reaction from the housing industry, and the wider public, regarding the merits of the stamp duty exemption.

Almost immediately after the scrapping of stamp duty for first-time buyers was unveiled, some in the property industry spoke up to voice their disapproval. Lewis Johnston, parliamentary and public affairs manager at RICS, said removing stamp duty for first-time buyers might help to stimulate activity in a subdued market, but that the measure did not tackle the ‘underlying problem’ of a lack of supply and might actually serve as a distraction rather than a cure.
 
Jean-Marc Vandevivere, former head of residential at British Land and now chief executive at start-up housing developer Platform, was in agreement, arguing that the stamp duty removal won’t encourage the building of new housing and will only benefit the well-off who can save for a large deposit and cope with higher house prices.
 
Meanwhile, high street lender Nationwide said the Chancellor’s decision to scrap stamp duty for most first-time buyers would only have a ‘limited effect’ on the market generally and especially first-time purchasers.
 
“The decision in the Budget to abolish SDLT for first time buyers purchasing a property up to £300,000 (with relief for those purchasing a property up to £500,000) is likely to have only a modest impact on overall demand,” Robert Gardner, Nationwide’s Chief Economist, said in late December. “In many regions, first time buyers already paid little or no stamp duty as the price of the typical first-time buyer property was below the previous threshold of £125,000.”
 
More recently, the influential Treasury select committee – chaired by Nicky Morgan, the former Education Secretary – said the stamp duty cut wasn’t really helping first-time buyers as increased demand is likely to grow house prices by at least the amount the reduction is intended to save. “In isolation, the reduction in stamp duty is likely to increase prices for first-time buyers by as much, if not more, than the amount they save as a reduction in stamp duty,” the committee said, while also criticising the fact that the change will only help a further 3,500 buyers to get on the ladder.

Has there actually been a rise in demand?

 Most of the talk has been of house prices inevitably rising as demand from first-time buyers soars. A recent survey conducted by RICS, however, casts some doubt on this assertion. Some 86% of members who were questioned in the survey claim to have seen no rise in interest from first-time buyers since the scrapping of stamp duty was announced. 
 
When asked to consider the likely impact of the stamp duty cut on the market over the coming months, most respondents (66%) said they expected the change to have little effect, with only 12% of the belief that it would cause a higher level of overall activity.
 
Simon Rubinsohn, RICS chief economist, said that initial feedback from the market doesn’t suggest that the change in stamp duty is going to have a material influence on activity. “Indeed, the risk was always that a good portion of the benefit would be capitalised in the price, therefore limiting the benefit for the first-time buyer,” he said.

Theresa May’s bold claim challenged

There was a sense of bafflement when Theresa May claimed in early January that the stamp duty changes had already aided some 16,000 first-time buyers.
 
Despite the claims that only 3,500 buyers would benefit, May was quoted as saying that more than 16,000 had already saved thousands as a result of Hammond’s measures.
 
With transactions typically taking some time to complete, and a range of industry experts suggesting that the change would only have a limited impact on the market, there was scepticism about where May plucked this figure from.
 
Labour dismissed the claim. “The number of young home-owners is in freefall but under the Tories the number of new low-cost homes for first-time buyers has halved and not a single one of the 200,000 'starter homes' promised has been built,” the party’s housing spokesman John Healey said.
 
The majority opinion seems to be that the number of first-time buyers helped by the removal of stamp duty will be minimal, while many also expect house prices to rise as a result of upped demand and flagging supply.
 
Those who say that the move was a purely political stunt – designed to get young people on side and distract from other announcements in the Budget – may therefore have some legitimacy to their complaints, but it will only become clear over time how effective the stamp duty exemption has actually been.