OSHKOSH – Local businesses may not have an issue attracting qualified applicants in the not-so-distant future.
For the second consecutive year, consumer reporting agency Checkr listed the city of Oshkosh among the best places for new college graduates to live across the entire country.
Citing a low unemployment rate and cost of living, a recent Checkr article written by David Patterson ranked Oshkosh at No. 8 overall behind Iowa City (Iowa), Lincoln (Nebraska), Columbia, Cape Girardeau (Missouri), Kalamazoo (Michigan), Grand Forks (North Dakota) and Columbus (Indiana).
The rating represents a slight drop down the totem pole for Oshkosh, which came in at No. 4 on last year’s list.
“The city demonstrates a compelling combination of low unemployment and cost-effective living for recent graduates,” Checkr research strategist Sam Radbil told the Northwestern. “On a national level, Oshkosh ranks in the top 50 for a couple of key metrics: fourth for employment opportunities and 41st for affordability for new college graduates.”
The Checkr article comes two months after Oshkosh Chamber’s annual business outlook survey spoke to the challenges businesses are having finding qualified applicants.
Polling 52 local CEOs, business owners and managers, the report said 27% of the respondents indicated they have unfilled job openings.
Yet, that figure represents a significant drop from the 47% who reported having unfilled job openings in the previous 2024 Oshkosh Chamber survey.