Record-low unemployment, growing number of jobs leaves employers short-staffed

As Minnesota’s unemployment rate sits at a record low, job growth is on the rise, and the ball is in the job seekers’ court.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic development (DEED) is stopping in Eagan Monday to speak with employers for its “Summer of Jobs” campaign, as many positions remain unfilled.

“Boy, is it a good time to be a job seeker,” said DEED Commissioner Steve Grove. “There is a lot of opportunity in Minnesota, and job seekers can be picky in where they go and what they choose.”

Grove says the state is still down 72,000 people in the workforce since before the COVID-19 pandemic, and adds the latest effort by employers to attract new hires is raising pay.

DEED will be in Eagan at 9:30 a.m. on Monday to discuss how employers can help fill open jobs, especially with “underrepresented talent pools.”

The state unemployment rate is now a record low 1.8% from June, placing Minnesota at No. 1 among all states in last month’s U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report.

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The national unemployment rate is 3.6%.