Job openings in Minnesota fall 19 percent

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.workdayminnesota.org/index.php?news_6_3578

26 March 2008
ST. PAUL - The number of job openings in Minnesota fell by 19 percent in the last six months, according to the latest Minnesota Job Vacancy Survey by the state Department of Employment and Economic Development.
After losing twice as many openings as were gained in the first part of last year, Minnesota now has 126,000 unemployed workers competing for only 50,600 unfilled jobs, the survey shows.

The survey also indicates that the median wage for job openings in Minnesota is $11 per hour, below what is needed to meet basic needs, according to the JOBS NOW Coalition. The coalition's Cost of Living in Minnesota research shows that in a Minnesota family of four with both parents working, each worker must earn at least $12.24 per hour to meet basic needs.

Other statewide findings include:

• Of the 25 occupations with the most job openings, only 10 offer median wages above a family-supporting wage of $12.24 per hour.

• Thirty-five percent of job openings are in four large occupational groups—sales, food preparation and serving, transportation, and healthcare support. The combined median wage for these groups is $8.52 per hour.

• During the last seven years the number of job openings in Minnesota fell by almost 90,000—a decline of 64 percent.

• More than half (55 percent) of job openings in Minnesota require no education or training beyond high school; and the median wage for these openings is $9.23 per hour. This is less than what the minimum wage would be ($9.66 per hour) if it had kept pace with inflation since 1968.

For more information
View the Job Vacancy Survey at www.deed.state.mn.us/lmi/publications/jobvacancy.htm

See a PDF version of the Cost of Living in Minnesota Report at www.jobsnowcoalition.org