The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development says that job openings in the North Star State climbed to a record high in the fourth quarter of 2021, surpassing 214,000 total openings.
DEED, which released the report on Tuesday, June 7, said the number of vacancies during the fourth quarter was up 68% compared to the fourth quarter of 2020, and up 56% compared to the previous fourth quarter peak hit in 2018, prior to the pandemic.
While vacancies continue to increase, the number of unemployed workers decreased. Although Minnesota’s labor force participation rate remains below its pre-pandemic level (68.3% in April 2022 compared to 70.8% in February 2020), according to DEED, it was much higher than the national average of 62.2% in April.
Coinciding with the report, DEED Commissioner Steve Grove will kick off the Summer of Jobs campaign the following week to highlight opportunities for employers and job seekers across Minnesota. The campaign will include job shadowing some of the best-paying in-demand jobs available in the state to highlight opportunities in manufacturing, health care, technology and beyond.
It also will share best practices and opportunities for employers to find talent in groups too often overlooked, such as immigrant communities, those with disabilities, and people recently released from correctional facilities.
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The campaign will be statewide with a focus on manufacturing.
“This unprecedented number of job openings is another sign that Minnesota’s economy is strong,” Grove said in a statement. “Our Summer of Jobs campaign will connect job seekers and employers, highlighting the extraordinary opportunity that exists for those who are willing to try new approaches at a dynamic moment in our economy.”
The Trust Project
