(The Center Square) – North Dakota is the hardest working state in the county, according to a report from WalletHub.
The consumer finance company determined its ratings based on several factors, including the average work week and the employment rate. The state tied with Wyoming for the third-highest average work week in the country. North Dakota has the second-highest employment rate behind its neighbor, South Dakota, according to the report.
The number of idle youth, defined as the number of people between the ages of 18 and 24 not working or in college, is another factor. North Dakota tied with New Hampshire for first on this metric.
As in North Dakota, unemployment rates remain low, and companies compete for talent despite the threat of recession, according to Dr. Anthony Wheeler, dean of the School of Business Administration at Widener University.
“Workers have seen their negotiation power increase not just on salary but also on working conditions,” Wheeler said. “Better schedules, better work spaces, more flexible work-from-home opportunities, higher signing bonuses, and the like have all increased for American workers.”
AI adoption may change the environment for workers in the future,” Wheeler said.
“For the last 40 years, the US education system has emphasized STEM skills,” he said. “That focus has created the technologies that will render many technical skills obsolete. What some have derisively called “soft skills”—critical thinking, communication, teamwork, and the like—are now the skills in most demand. These “soft skills” are now the “durable skills” that AI will not replace.”
