Take Five: NH’s workforce grows while job scams and AI use reshape hiring trends

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that New Hampshire had 35,000 job openings in April 2025, or 4.7%. Nationally, the rate was 4.4%. Additionally in April, the Granite State had 24,000 hires and 27,000 separations. Among the separations were 15,000 quits and 10,000 layoffs and discharges. The unemployment ratio of unemployed persons per job opening as of April was 0.7.

The unemployment situation in New Hampshire is improving, according to WalletHub. In a recent report, the first week of July’s claims were 48.83% lower than in the previous week and 3.47% lower than last year. The Granite State ranked No. 1 for having the best unemployment situation in the country, with 3 claims per 100,000 people in the labor force.

Thirty-nine percent of Americans surveyed by Resume.org say they received a fake job offer via text this year, with 14% engaging in some way. Of those, 48% shared personal information and 30% had money stolen from a bank account or credit card. Forty-five percent are now more skeptical of all recruiter outreach, 44% take more time to verify job listings, and 31% say they’ve become hesitant to apply for remote roles.

A June Resume.org survey found that 76% of full-time Gen Z workers use AI chatbots at work, with 94% of those using those tools to handle workplace issues such as decoding messages, managing conflict or deciding how to reply. However, 17% say AI has made them less likely to take personal responsibility, and 43% say AI reinforced their biased emotional reaction.

Data from the Pew Research Center found that, in two years, the share of employed adults who say they use ChatGPT for work has risen by 20 percentage points to 28%, an 8-point increase since last year. Twenty-six percent have used it for learning, up from 8% in March 2023, and 22% have used it for entertainment, up from 11%.