What's My Chances of Landing a Job?

The New York Times reported, Job seekers now outnumber openings six to one, the worst ratio since the government began tracking open positions in 2000.

According to the Labor Department’s latest numbers, from July, only 2.4 million full-time permanent jobs were open, with 14.5 million people officially unemployed.

And even though the pace of layoffs is slowing, many companies remain anxious about growth prospects in the months ahead, making them reluctant to add to their payrolls.

The dearth of jobs reflects the caution of many American businesses when no one knows what will emerge to propel the economy. With unemployment at 9.7 percent nationwide, the shortage of paychecks is both a cause and an effect of weak hiring.

Their graph tells an interesting story of job openings versus applications. I encourage you to click on the graph to view a larger image.