The presence of such industry powerhouses as Polaris, Arctic Cat and New Flyer make Northwest Minnesota a hub of transportation equipment manufacturing.
From wheat and potatoes to soybeans and sugar beets, the region is a major producer and processor of food staples and specialty agricultural products.
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12/27/2021 9:00:00 AM
Cameron Macht
As the pandemic stretches on, demand for health care workers is off the charts in Northwest Minnesota. In sum, there were nearly 3,300 job vacancies for Healthcare Practitioners & Technical and Healthcare Support workers in the second quarter of 2021. That was a 65% increase compared to the second quarter of 2019, just prior to the pandemic. After hovering between 1,100 and 1,400 vacancies each year from 2014 to 2018, hiring demand has spiked in the past three years as health care employers have struggled to find enough workers to fill the growing number of positions available in the region (see Figure 1).
Just over 50% of the job openings in Health Care and Social Assistance were part-time, which was one of the highest rates of any industry in the region. In fact, only Leisure & Hospitality had a notably higher percentage of part-time jobs. But unlike Leisure & Hospitality, where less than 20% of the openings require training past high school; 45% of jobs in Health Care & Social Assistance require postsecondary education, and 62% required a certificate or license. Because of the higher requirements, Health Care also offered higher median wage offers, at $15.59, compared to closer to $13.00 an hour in Leisure & Hospitality.
The rising wages and part-time schedule flexibility are designed to attract new workers for the thousands of openings in the region. At a more detailed level, some of the jobs that are in highest demand in health care include Healthcare Support occupations such as:
Demand was also rising rapidly for Healthcare Practitioners & Technical positions, including:
The 522 postings for RNs is the highest number on record, but those openings all require at least an associate degree, with some employers expressing a preference for bachelor's degrees. That means job seekers who are interested in becoming an RN will require time and training; but may be able to start in some of the entry-level Healthcare Support occupations in the region and then move their way up the career ladder. Many employers will even help pay for or provide the training to get into those jobs.
To learn more about Health Care Month in Minnesota, visit careerforcemn.com/HealthCare. This page includes resources for job seekers, students and educators and employers. For example, numerous hiring events and career fairs are happening throughout the month of January for those looking for work in the health care industry. Employers can also find additional resources for attracting, developing, and retaining talent online here.
Contact Cameron Macht at 320-441-6596.
