With the exodus of J1 visa holders heading back to college in their home countries, Cook County is finding itself short on available workers for any number of jobs. And while this means business owners have to run with fewer hours or close a day or two each week because there isn’t enough available staff, Cook County employers aren’t alone in this dilemma.
Statewide Minnesota employers reported 146,513 job vacancies in the second quarter of 2019, the highest total on record and an indication that the state’s labor market remains tight, according to figures released on Monday, Sept. 30 by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).
According to the survey, the seven-county Twin Cities metro had 86,044 of the openings (58.7 percent), while Greater Minnesota had 60,468 openings (41.3 percent).
Health care and social assistance accounted for 19.2 percent of the openings statewide, followed by accommodation and food services (16.9 percent), retail trade (15.3 percent), manufacturing (7.6 percent) and educational services (5.0 percent).
The majority of employers statewide (62 percent) expect their employment levels to remain the same over the next six months. Twenty-seven percent expect to increase employment levels. The remaining 11 percent plans to decrease employment levels.
All in all the job’s report is good news if you need to find employment, or add a second job. It’s not so rosy if you are a business owner looking for help that doesn’t exist, or lives in another country and can’t return until next summer.
Leave a Reply