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    Southeast Region

    southeast-minnesota-mapSoutheast Minnesota is a health care and agricultural powerhouse. The region is home to the renowned Mayo Clinic and some of the world's most recognized food companies and brands.

    Advanced manufacturing is especially strong here, with machinery, chemicals, and electronics among the top products.

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    Veterans and Employment

    11/8/2019 12:00:00 PM

    November 11, 2019 – a day of honoring the country’s veterans who have sacrificed so much to serve and protect our country. DEED has a variety of resources and programs to ensure that the state’s veterans receive all the help they need to explore, gain, and retain employment and training opportunities. 

    How are Southeast Minnesota’s veterans faring in the labor market? The vast majority of working age (18 to 64 years) veterans are participating in the labor force. However, it varies by county, as some counties see higher labor force participation rates and other counties see the opposite.  The largest differences in labor force participation between the two groups are in Dodge County, where the labor force participation rate for veterans is 4.2 percentage points higher than the total labor force. On the other hand, veterans in Houston, Rice, and Steele counties saw lower labor force participation rates. Among the 11 counties in the Southeast region, Dodge County had the highest veteran labor force participation rate (92.5%), while the lowest was in Rice County (74.8%) (Table 1).

    Table 1. Labor Force Participation Rates by Veteran Status in Southeast Minnesota, 2017


    Most veterans in the labor force have jobs. The unemployment rate among the veteran population in the region rests at 4.6 percent.  Again, there is variation by county in the differences in unemployment rates, with some counties seeing higher unemployment rates among veterans while other counties see lower rates. For example, the unemployment rate for veterans in Steele County is 2.7 percentage points higher than the overall rate, while the veterans unemployment rate is 3.2 percentage points lower in Winona County (Figure 1). 

    Figure 1. Unemployment Rates – Southeast Minnesota

    DEED is fully supportive of Minnesota’s veterans and staff work tirelessly to ensure that the state’s veterans obtain and retain suitable employment. Here are some steps that veterans can take to get assistance in finding work. 

    1. Contact a Veterans Employment Representative to get assistance with job search, resumes, job placement, and career-related questions.
    2. Use CareerForceMN or the MyMilitary GPS LifePlan website to set career goals, as well as other goals such as education, financial, and personal goals.
    3. After creating a resume, veterans can then post their resume, at no charge, on MinnesotaWorks.net, which is a free online database of thousands of job openings throughout the state.

    For More Information

    Contact Mark Schultz.

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