States Where Job Markets Have Not Recovered to Pre-Crisis Levels

A recent report from labor market analytics website Emsi says that the share of jobs still lost from the Great Recession are highest in seven states.

While Alabama has the largest job deficit, 62,637 jobs, West Virginia has the highest share of jobs still lost, per 2007 levels, at 4 percent. MarketWatch reports that West Virginia "has been described as being in 'an economic death spiral,' thanks to its crumbling coal mining industry." Mississippi, with two percent of jobs still lost, has had the highest rate of migration out of state in the South among people under the age of 40 with a college degree, MarketWatch adds.

Notably, many of these states have particularly vibrant tech industries, which have helped to fuel the demand for jobs in cities like San Francisco, Austin, and Seattle. The Emsi report also analyzed the occupations that have experienced the most workforce growth since the financial crisis. Registered nurses came out on top, followed by waiters and home health aids.

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