Where are today’s strongest job opportunities—and what skills are employers looking for from candidates?
In this FOX 24 WTAT interview from Charleston, South Carolina, economic strategist Dan Varroney discusses where jobs are being created, the opportunities available through small businesses, and what employers consider when evaluating potential hires. He explains how job seekers can better position themselves in a changing labor market and why workforce skills remain essential to America’s economic growth.
Key takeaways
- Employers increasingly value technology skills, problem solving, collaboration, communication, and adaptability.
- Small businesses offer broad-based opportunities in digital technology, AI, logistics, transportation, healthcare, manufacturing, and education.
- Investment incentives can create demand for workers to operate equipment and support expanded facilities.
- Job seekers improve their odds by targeting roles where their skills match at least most of the specification and by networking consistently.
Read the transcript
Host: The unemployment rate may be low, but for many Americans, finding a job has never felt harder. We’ll explain why the tight hiring market feels so different and where the best opportunities are right now. Let’s welcome Amazon bestselling author and economic growth strategist for Potomac Core, Dan Varroney.
Dan Varroney: I’m happy to be with you.
Host: If unemployment is so low, why are so many qualified people struggling to find work?
Dan Varroney: We are in an evolving and shifting job market. Technology has taken over—digital technology and AI—and employers have become very particular. They’re looking for people who have specific skills around technology and who are very good problem solvers. It’s not that companies aren’t hiring; they’re looking for specific skill sets.
Host: What has changed in today’s hiring market compared with a few years ago?
Dan Varroney: There is a greater need for productivity. Companies are looking to get a greater return on the investment they make in employees. They have tighter margins, compliance costs, taxes, and so on. They’re looking for workers who have skills, can be flexible, can apply technology, are great problem solvers and collaborators, and fit into a fast-paced environment.
Host: Are there particular industries hiring the most right now?
Dan Varroney: In the ADP private-sector jobs reports from February through June, there were 330,000 new jobs created by companies that employ 50 or fewer people. That’s a signal of where opportunities are. They’re broad-based within those small companies: digital, AI, logistics, transportation, healthcare, manufacturing, and education, with a key focus on manufacturing because they’re the best-paying jobs.
Host: What about the public sector?
Dan Varroney: I think there are opportunities, but fewer than in the past. Units of government don’t have as robust cash flow as they once did. Local and state government, as well as the federal government, are making massive investments in technology.
Host: Why is small business playing such a major role in job growth?
Dan Varroney: The Big Beautiful Bill passed by Congress had a component of 100% expensing for plants and equipment. If small businesses are taking advantage of that—and they are—it’s creating new opportunities for work. If you’re buying new equipment, you need workers to operate it. If you’re building new plants, you need workers to fill those plants and help run the business. Small-business entrepreneurs are risk-takers and all in on investing. The 330,000 new jobs are an important growth signal for our economy.
Host: Beyond technical skills, what soft skills make someone stand out today?
Dan Varroney: The ability to work with others and have good communication skills matters a lot to employers. When I’m working with small, medium, and large companies, the top traits they embrace are those soft skills.
Host: What mistakes are people making when they send many applications and résumés without getting responses?
Dan Varroney: I advise people to pick cherries where cherries grow. Give your résumé a test. When you’re looking at a job specification, if you have an 80% or better match to those skills, your chances of getting that first interview are much greater.
Host: Three things someone should do this week to land a job faster?
Dan Varroney: Network, network, and network.
Explore Dan Varroney’s economic keynote programs or read Rethinking Economic Growth and Reimagining Industry Growth.