As the U.S. economy begins its tenth year of growth since the end of the Great Recession, American employers are looking to fill some 6.6 million open positions, according to the latest numbers in the government’s Job Openings and Labor turnover report.

That means job hunting in the U.S. is better than it’s been in nearly a decade, especially for those who are looking for work in the South.

The number of job openings dipped slightly in May, but continued to outpace last year’s levels. The decline in openings came as hiring increased by 173,000 to 5.8 million. And the rate of hiring – as a share of all jobs - rose one-tenth of a percentage point to 3.9 percent, the highest since March, 2007.

The result was a job opening for every unemployed person who was looking for one.

Job creation was strongest in the 18 states in the South, where 2.2 million jobs were open in May.