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Are Skills Scarce?
Posted on June 4th, 2013 No commentsIf 2012 saw the biggest increase in Minnesota job openings since 2005, not all opportunities led to job creation. Some employers faced difficulties filling vacant positions, while others were still reluctant to commit to hiring and preferred waiting for the ideal job candidate to come along. The apparent contradiction between the availability of jobs and the inability of employers to fill them led some commentators to point to “skills gaps” as a major constraint to employment recovery after the Great Recession.
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Plane, Train or Automobile
Posted on April 2nd, 2013 No commentsWhether it’s transporting goods by boat, truck or railroad or passengers by plane or bus, transportation is an important industry sector in Minnesota.
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Minnesota Economic Update
Posted on March 26th, 2013 No commentsThe road to economic recovery in Minnesota is nearly complete. Total non-farm employment is just 1,000 jobs off of our pre-recessionary job peak, which was in February 2008. Estimates of job vacancies show an 18 percent growth at the end of 2012 compared to one year prior and are also back to pre-recessionary levels. What should we expect of Minnesota’s economy in 2013?
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Hiring Difficulties and Skills Mismatches in Minnesota
Posted on March 12th, 2013 No commentsWhen employers have difficulty filling positions, does it mean that there aren’t enough qualified people to take the position? Not always, says a new study on skills mismatches released by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. Sometimes there are skills mismatches, but sometimes the difficulties are the result of demand-side conditions like an unattractive compensation package, the location of work, or the hours or shift of work. Most commonly, though, hiring difficulties are the result of a mix of both supply and demand-side conditions.
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How Many Jobs?
Posted on March 6th, 2013 No commentsA frequent request I get is “how many jobs does the average person hold during their lifetime?” Whether the answer is intended to help youth realize the life-long career journey or coach mature workers on the impermanence of jobs, it’s a good question. Surprisingly, it always proves a little difficult to answer.
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Making Minimum Wage
Posted on February 20th, 2013 No commentsRaising the federal minimum wage was a topic “raised” in the recent State of the Union address. Currently the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. A full-time minimum wage worker nets about $15,080 annually, before taxes. Let’s take a closer look at who makes minimum wage in Minnesota.
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