Take 5: health insurance, job search and AI on jobs

NH Business Review's biweekly snapshot of business and industry statistics

NEW Hampshire is among the states where residents are facing the least health insurance-related stress, according to research from NiceRx. According to the study, New Hampshire’s average annual employee health insurance contribution is among the lowest at $6,220 — rising by 21.2% over a 10-year span. The study also showed that 4.5% of NH residents live without health insurance.

A survey conducted by Careerminds, a global outplacement and career development firm, identified that, among employees who had been offered a promotion over the past year, almost half (49%, or 17,777 employees) turned it down. Top reasons for rejecting the promotion include being happy with their current work-life balance (23%), the pay increase would not justify the added responsibilities (16%) and they did not want more stress (16%).

MONSTER’S Job Search Strain Report found that the job-searching process is taking longer and is becoming increasingly competitive. Findings show that one in four job-seekers say they have been searching for more than a year, with 39% saying they feel more desperate to get hired. Sixty-four percent have applied to a wider range of roles than before in the hopes of landing a role, showing a willing to compromise with accepting a pay cut (32%) or giving up one major job benefit (32%).

WHEN analyzing the future of AI on jobs, Robert Half research shows that the AI panic is largely overestimated and that it only helps expand work being done. A recent study showed that 88% of organizations are now using AI, with 57% showing optimism about its integration into current workflows. Of those surveyed, 54% predict AI will increase its workforce headcount in the next two years, with more than 3 in 10 managers who initially eliminated positions after implementing AI now adding those positions back in.

THE Pew Research Center found that the use of cryptocurrency has remained fairly stable in the United States, with 1 in 5 adults (19%) saying they’ve invested in or used a cryptocurrency – about on par with the 16% who said this in 2021. Republicans are also more likely to use crypto than Democrats, with use increasing from 16% in 2021 to 22% today.