Learning about job availability is important, whether you are looking for the ideal job or a temporary job.
How many job vacancies are there?
- According to the most recent Minnesota Job Vacancies Survey (April-August 2007), jobseekers are competing for fewer employment opportunities compared to last year. Job vacancies in the state are down by 6.3 percent from one year ago, for a total of 60,170 vacancies.
- About 58 percent of all job vacancies (35,150) are located in the Twin Cities seven-county area, while the remaining 25,022 are in Greater Minnesota. For more information about job vacancies in a specific Economic Development Region, visit the
regional overview.
- The average job vacancy rate across all occupations is 2.3 percent, or 2.3 job vacancies for every 100 filled positions in the state.
Where is the greatest need for workers?
The following table summarizes which occupational groups show evidence of being most in demand and which ones offer fewer opportunities to job seekers at the moment. Each occupational group is a link to iSeek pages where you can find useful career information by job title.
When comparing occupations, career seekers should also take into account job quality. Some aspects to consider include:
- Wage: Low wage occupations are more likely to be affected by high turnover and therefore appear to have a lot of openings, such as Food Preparation and Serving. Research the average wage for jobs you are considering.
- Work status: Some openings are predominantly part-time and temporary. If your dream is to become musician or actor, and you see lots of openings in Arts, Design, Entertainment and Media, consider that some professions hire freelance or temporary employees to help with specific projects or events and rarely hire new employees for long-term, permanent positions.
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How much do the available jobs pay?
When we talk about wages in this context we refer to those offered to fill a vacancy. Starting wages might be negotiable depending on the individual employee's education and experience. The following table shows the median (50th percentile) starting wage offers for full- and part-time vacancies in Minnesota.
| Type of Vacancy |
Median Hourly Wage |
All Vacancies |
$11.00 |
Full-time |
$14.00 |
Part-time |
$8.00 |
Source:
Minnesota
Job Vacancy Survey
, 2nd Quarter 2007,
Minnesota Department
of Employment and Economic Development
.
It is important to keep in mind that part-time job vacancies are less likely to offer benefits. For example, only 30 percent offer health insurance as compared to 84 percent for full-time vacancies.
View Job Vacancy Data to find wages for each occupation.
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What kind of education and experience do new jobs require?
This is particularly valuable to identify employer training needs.
- Forty-three percent of job vacancies require post-secondary education—a vocational degree or certificate, a two-year degree, a bachelor's degree, or an advanced degree. The remaining jobs require a high school diploma or less.
- Thirty-eight percent of jobs call for experience specifically related to the position.
- As education and experience requirements increase, so do the wage rates offered on average.
- Only three percent of total job vacancies are truly entry-level— they do not require any education or previous experience.
View Job Vacancy Data to find education and experience requirements for each occupation.
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Future career prospects
Job vacancies reflect short-term market conditions, not future prospects of an occupation. To find out whether the job you are searching or training for will still be in demand over the next years, visit Careers in demand.
Page last updated in December 2007.
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