RALEIGH – For members of the Baby Boomer generation, the Triangle is the best place in the country to find a job, a new study found.
The new analysis from LinkedIn shows that the Triangle outranks Austin, Texas, for the top spot for Baby Boomers to seek employment, as well as every other region in the country in the data set, which only studied regions with more than 20,000 workers with LinkedIn profiles.
Charlotte finished ranked 7th overall, behind Dallas-Fort Worth.
“At the top of the list is the Research Triangle cluster of cities in North Carolina (Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill),” the report reads. “That region’s fast-growing economy and rising population are creating opportunities for all generations.”
While nationally, many Boomers have left the workforce, the Triangle may be attracting Boomers who are still seeking professional work, with a strong though turbulent job market, particularly for technical talent.
What’s happening
Behind the Triangle and Austin ranked Sarasota and Cape Coral, two metro areas in Florida, and Denver, Colorado. Boston ranked 8th, with Nashville, Tennessee and Jacksonville, Florida rounding out the top 10 regions in the country.
And recent data from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, cited by LinkedIn in a blog post sharing the analysis, indicates that workers are now more willing to stay in the workforce longer.
For instance, in 2000, 19.2% of people between the ages of 65 and 74 remained in the workforce nationally. In 2010, that had grown to 26.6%, and it’s projected to hit 32% in 2030, LinkedIn’s report noted.
Another reason the Triangle is seeing an increase in Boomer workers is that the population is aging at a faster rate than the national average, said Nadia Evangelou, a senior economist and director of forecasting at the National Association of REALTORS®.
“The population of older adults (65+) has increased about 80% in this area in the last decade compared to 40% nationwide,” said Evangelou. “In the meantime, we also see the trend that more older adults continue to work instead of retiring.”
Evangelou told WRAL TechWire that this trend in the Triangle will be worth watching in the coming years, as 2030 will mark the year in which all members of the Baby Boomer generation will be at least 65 years old, or older.
Meanwhile, should the Triangle continue to attract Boomers, there may be continued pressure on the region’s housing market, as Boomers rate the importance of homeownership higher than any other generation, according to recent data from the National Association of REALTORS®.
Through turbulent labor market, job opportunities abound in the Triangle
