Despite a tight labor market, Pennington County employers are planning to increase staff.
Labor has been tight in the Thief River Falls area for some time, but the problem is becoming increasingly challenging. According to the fourth quarter 2021 report from Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (MN DEED), Northwest Minnesota now has two job vacancies for every unemployed person.
Local Area Employers
This summer, Advance Thief River interviewed a broad spectrum of area businesses. Businesses were asked about their hiring plans in the coming months. Fifty-six percent of those interviewed are planning to increase staff in what most consider to be a very tight labor market.
Additionally, when asked “to what degree is finding qualified people to fill open positions a problem in your business,” sixty-eight percent reported that it was a problem (28%) or an extreme problem (40%).
Northwest Minnesota Job Vacancies
According to the Q4 labor market report released by MN DEED, employers in Northwest Minnesota posted the highest number of job vacancies since the survey began in 2001. The region has seen a significant (and quick) spike in job vacancies that surpasses pre-pandemic vacancies by far, as illustrated by Figure 1.
Industries with the highest job vacancy rates include other services (20.7%), accommodation and food services (19.1%), retail trade (13.9%), and health care and social assistance (10.8%).
Click here for the Q4 Job Vacancy Report released by MN DEED.
