Things To Do In SW Florida

Tim Henderson | (TNS) Stateline.org

The number of job openings has declined sharply in every state since 2022, better aligning the numbers of unfilled jobs and people seeking work.

Nationally, for the first time since before the pandemic, the number of job openings and unemployed people is roughly in balance: a little more than one opening per person looking for work, according to a Stateline analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. At the height of the labor shortage in 2022, there were two job openings per job seeker. As of April, the ratio was down to 1.2 openings per person.

But the proportion of workers to jobs ranges widely from state to state. In California, where layoffs in tech and the film industry have unsettled the job market, there is less than one opening per unemployed person. In North Dakota, where a brain drain has left a shortage of skilled and educated workers, there are almost three openings per unemployed person.

The federal government defines a job opening as an available position that an employer wants to fill within a month. read more

Imagine handing over thousands of dollars, signing a lease for a home and moving all your belongings in — only to find out that you were scammed.

Steve DuBrueler, founder and CEO of Coldwell Banker Premier, said there has been a surge in scams involving vacant properties. Now in his 36th year in the business, DuBrueler wants to make the public aware. The Coldwell Banker affiliate, based in Winchester, operates an office in Virginia Beach.

“We’ve seen an uptick in this for vacant properties, both for sale and for rent,” he said. “It is a little bit alarming. They are getting more creative.”

The scammers conduct their con by acting as if they are the property owner, DuBrueler said. They typically express they are firing their real estate agency and plan to sell or lease the property on their own. They say they are going out to the property to remove the company’s for sale sign.

“They use photos from the internet to create an ad, typically on a social platform like Facebook,” DuBrueler explained. read more