Northeast Minnesota job seekers outnumber full-time openings 7-to-1

With 14,000 unemployed workers competing for 4,800 unfilled jobs in the northeastern part of the state, job seekers outnumber job openings 3-to-1, the JOBS NOW Coalition found in an analysis of the data. But only 2,000 of the 4,800 job openings are full-time, meaning job seekers outnumber full-time openings 7-to-1.

Forty-six percent of all openings are in the two largest occupational groups—food preparation/serving and sales. These two groups have a combined median wage of $7.27 per hour.

Other major findings for Northeast Minnesota include:

• More than one-third (35 percent) of openings are temporary or seasonal.

• More than half (58 percent) of openings are part-time.

• Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of openings require no education or training beyond high school.

• The median wage for all openings is $8.67 per hour.

JOBS NOW’s Cost of Living research shows that in a Northeast Minnesota family of four with both parents working, each worker must earn $12.60 per hour to meet basic needs. For a PDF of the Cost of Living in Minnesota report, go to the JOBS NOW Coalition website.

The region included in the analysis consists of the counties of Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake and St. Louis.

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