The cover story in this issue of Minnesota Economic Trends looks at employment in the construction industry. After losing nearly 38,000 jobs during the recession, the Minnesota construction sector is growing again and struggling, in some cases, to find workers. People of color and women might hold the key to helping the industry fill open positions.
Two other stories focus on people with disabilities. One story documents how people with disabilities trail the overall population in virtually every measure of the labor market, from the unemployment rate to labor force participation. A second story examines the state’s new Connect 700 program, which aims to increase the number of people with disabilities in the state government workforce.
Also in this issue, we examine how many occupations in Minnesota require more than a high school education and look at the growing demand for home health aides and personal care aides.
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People of color and women will be essential to helping the construction industry address its employment needs in coming years.
The construction industry is attractive for job seekers because of the wages, job availability and low educational requirements. But construction is among the industries in Minnesota that are finding it increasingly difficult to fill open positions.
There is a substantial gap between the goals of integrating people with disabilities into the labor force and their actual levels of participation. Labor force disparities for people with disabilities also vary from one type of disability to another, resulting in some groups showing higher or lower rates of participation than others.
Home health aides and personal care aides will be two of the fastest-growing occupations in Minnesota in the next decade.
Despite some claims that a postsecondary education is required for an increasing number of jobs, a DEED analysis found that nearly two-thirds of the jobs in Minnesota require a high school education or less.
If the state’s new Connect 700 program succeeds, it could become a role model in Minnesota and the nation for promoting disability employment.
