Job vacancies in Minnesota climbed 15.1 percent in the second quarter of 2012 compared with the same period a year ago, according to figures released recently by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).
Employers reported nearly 63,000 openings during the quarter, up from 54,700 openings during the same period in 2011. Statewide, there were 2.6 unemployed people for each vacancy, compared with 3.6 unemployed people per vacancy during last year’s second quarter.
“Job vacancies in the state have returned to levels that we haven’t seen since before the Great Recession,” said DEED Commissioner Mark Phillips in a news release. “While finding work remains difficult for many people, the latest survey is a positive sign that the labor market is recovering.”
According to the survey, 34,600 vacancies (54.9 percent of the total) were in the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area, while the remaining 28,400 openings were in Greater Minnesota. Compared with a year ago, job vacancies were up 16.8 percent in the Twin Cities and 39.8 percent in Greater Minnesota.
Jobs in health care and social assistance accounted for the most vacancies (16.5 percent), followed by accommodation and food services (13.4 percent), retail trade (11.5 percent), educational services (10 percent) and manufacturing (8.2 percent).
Middle-sized firms (10 to 249 employees) accounted for 64.5 percent of the openings, while large firms (250 employees or more) had 21.3 percent of the vacancies and small firms (fewer than 10 employees) had 14.3 percent of the vacancies.
Among other findings of the study:
● 42 percent of the openings were for part-time jobs (fewer than 35 hours per week).
● 19 percent were for temporary or seasonal work.
● 44 percent required some level of post-secondary education or training beyond a high school degree.
● 40 percent required related work experience.
● The median wage offer was $11.06 per hour.
● 55 percent offered health insurance.
DEED conducts the Job Vacancy Survey twice a year to measure hiring demand and vacancy characteristics by industry, occupation and firm size in Minnesota. About 10,300 firms in 20 industrial sectors were surveyed in the latest study.
A full report can be found at www.PositivelyMinnesota.com/jvs.
DEED is the state’s principal economic development agency, promoting business recruitment, expansion and retention, workforce development, international trade and community development. For more details about the agency and services, visit us at www.PositivelyMinnesota.com.


Comments (23)
Add commentvacancies will continue
Another 40+ jobs are at stake with the closings of the 911 centers for the state patrol.
44 % of the unfilled jobs available ,require post secondary ed.
If you can read this ,Thank a Teacher !
If you cant , well then its likely you champion a return to a mythological America that never existed.
Education fixes unemployment. Its a fact.
really captron
Captron says, "Education fixes unemployment. Its a fact."
Why is it that 53% of recent college graduates are unemployed?
I would think that more jobs would fix unemployment faster than more education.
My teachers were great, but they were not in the room when I interviewed for my first job. Or helped me at the work place learn more in 3 months than I did in 4 1/2 years of college.
Sounds good
"If you can read this, thank a teacher" is a good sound bite.
But, before you brag about it too much, check the reading
ability of the students in the U.S.
You have to be born to parents that appreciate how important reading is, you have to be in a school district that has good teachers. When a student in a ghetto gets a chance to go
to a good school district, they have a chance to work hard
and be appreciated. If they stayed in their own school and tried hard they most likely would be called names.
The solution is called "school choice" and has been successful where tried.
I really am impressed with the students who had parents
who didn't care and were in poor schools and still rose up
and were successful in life. Good for them.
Apostrophes are your friend, Captron, learn their proper use...
...I do so love being lectured about the importance of education by someone who has the writing skills of a third grader.
southie is counting
his mistakes and hiding them, muehl!
Sorry Mule Lady , The IED that took my right eye creates problem
Why dont you preach to your comrades on here that education is IMPORTANT.
You tell us about yours constantly.
Most other things you always focus on are NOT.
Like the disagreeable yahoo that said 53% of college grads are unemployed, therefore the fact the article pointed out that 44% of those available state jobs ( focus now on the article now) require some additional training ,maybe college ?
To advance your learning and your cult followers why dont you pass along the state sponsored web sites that details by ,location , requirements, and complete job description , what these jobs actually are , since you think the sky is falling.
Instead of these ridiculus statements you make ,you could actually contribute something worthwhile to the discussion by actually knowing/saying something relevant/worthwhile.
If you looked at the requirements for the jobs , then maybe you could understand WHY those millions of people without work is not the black guys fault.
Think unskilled workers in a global world ,outside your rather small back yard box.
Good luck with that !
You could be an agent for positive change and forget your evil negative past.
Like I told you before ,Lady your a dinosaur, we all know what happened to them.
Careful there captron.
Some vets are nasty people too. Just being a soldier doesn't make anyone a hero or saint.
W. Calley wasn't a hero as I recall, and lots of tough "heroes" are up on charges of rape, at this time. The left is the party of "Comrades"
Oh, duh!
Of course education is important. And don't hide behind your disability, it's unseemly and unmanly. Your problem with grammar is a lack of education, not a lack of sight. Helen Keller was deaf AND blind, and she was an excellent writer.
Well the Democrats will have the answer!
Watching the hilarious convention on the tube, what a bunch on worn out tired ideas. God help us (oops sorry I forgot that the Dems are leaving "God" out of the party platform) if this group gets re-elected.
Hero's
Lt William Calley was one of the biggest hero's of our time. He was used as a scape goat. We need more vets like him. If a 4 year old vietnamese kid took a shot at you or killed your fellow vet, you wouldn't think twice about killing him. Especially in a war zone. Now don't tell me 4 year old vietnamese kids don't carry weapons. Unless you've been there, stop repeating what the liberal media tells you. Remember, "ALL GAVE SOME-SOME GAVE ALL".
PS: "Innocent" women and children killed more american soldiers than any Viet Cong soldiers. Now, put that in your pipe and smoke it. That's a fact. I WAS THERE.
Former Senator and Governor, Bob Kerrey
is being swiftboated again as he runs for Senate in Nebraska. Shameful.
Sorry, LLR, the DEM. speakers are making Clint Eastwood look like a dinosaur.
Well, Charlie, sorry again.
I used the wrong name that time. But, don't tell me that every vet is a hero because that's B S . This nation doesn't keep on going because the military is being heroic, it does with the help of the military. You soldiers don't make the food and supplies that keep you going and it gets a little tiring when you look down on Americans that aren't on the front lines. The hero word is getting worn out and it's too bad it makes you mad. If it wasn't for the Americans at home the military would have ceased to exist long ago. Please, and I do mean Please, don't put yourself above those of us who haven't gone over there for what ever reason that you don't know.
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics...
Ruh Roh, those are subjects of (shudder) Education...
Hmm...
Out Sourcer in Chief - Romney and Second Out Sourcer in Chief - Ryan...
Believe this is a non-America thing???
Send that kind of stuff abroad...
Nope. Made in America Folks...
Fair calls me...Scribbles...I just scribbled something America needs to invest in...
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics...
is that substance (you are on)
legal in Minnesota dutch? Or are you just drooling from the DNC Convention coverage?
Hero's again
If you can't stand the word heros, then talk to those that think teachers and cops and firefighters are heros. Any veteran that serves in a combat zone, is a hero, automatically. And most of our food came from the local economy, not your farmers over here. Ex: Water buffalo, rice, bananas, chickens, coca cola. Again, even if for some reason you couldn't serve, stop making statements about what you heard on TV. Heroism is not automatic. Vets in combat zones earn it. Please, continue to support our troops and thank you for your comments. Viet Nam wasn't the only war. There were many more hero's in Korea and WWII. Veterans go back a lot further than Nam. And they all fought for our freedom. Sorry about my blast on your Calley comments. Perhaps you even had relatives, grandparents etc that fought. They are the heros. I don't want to be considered a hero but when you consider a teacher a hero, I'm a double hero. Thanks again FNB. Sorry for being so touchy but some things are hard to forget. s/s Charlie PS: Lets change the subject.
Southie11
Hear my howling laugh as I watch Matthews wet himself over Wasserman complain that the Dems aren't checking the photo I.D.s close enough and they are going through too many granola bars and bottled waters. Of course then you have old food nazi "FA" Obama giving her babbling speech. It is so funny that I may record this for future laughs.
STEM...Oh Fair One...
Science...
Technology...
Engineering...
Mathematics...
Perhaps something the current (and not former) GOP folks would have an issue, or issues with???
Past Pipe Dream...
Let's not go back, let's move forward...

Past Pipe Dream...
Those look like good worker
Those look like good worker quarters for future American workers.
"Science...
Technology...
Engineering...
Mathematics..."
Those things lead to....shudder....CHANGE and that terrifies cons. It also requires the belief in science and we can't have that because that's what the educated elite believe in and they are bad people.
Hilarious!
What? You don't like the "culvert" hotel? Sorry lefties, but that's a GREEN "pipe" dream, not a conservative one...
http://greenopolis.com/goblog/green-groove/unusual-hotel-austria-has-roo...
I don't know what planet Fish and Dutch are living on, but my father and all but one of my five siblings are engineers (and two of my engineer siblings are sisters), and not a one is a liberal. I've also worked for engineering firms in the past and found engineers, even in the cities, to be a more conservative than average lot. That's probably because engineering deals with REALITY and APPLIED science. You can't just buffalo your way through an engineering process. In the end it either has to work or you are finished (unlike certain Dem politicians who shall remain nameless who have a track record of making things worse and still think we should give them more time).
Dutch
Those are an example of Obama's "shovel ready" projects.
Charlie
charlie, charlie, " your words ", PS: "Innocent" women and children killed more american soldiers than any Viet Cong soldiers. Now, put that in your pipe and smoke it. That's a fact. I WAS THERE." Guess what, so was I and you obviously did too much dope. Get it, dope?