Report: State Job Vacancies Climb to 114,000

ST. PAUL -- There were nearly 114,000 vacant jobs in the state in the fourth quarter of last year, according to a report by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. That's up 16 percent from the same period in 2016.

The seven-county Twin Cities Metro area had 60 percent of those openings.

The occupations with the most job vacancies were retail salespeople, personal care aides, and the restaurant industry.

DEED says 41 percent of the open jobs were for part-time employment, 32 percent required some level of post-secondary education, and 46 percent one or more years of experience. The median wage for all job vacancies was $14.34 an hour. And, 55 percent of the vacancies offered health insurance.