The record high numbers of job openings continued in 2022, with just over 20,000 vacancies reported in the thirteen counties of Central Minnesota. Although openings fell from the peak recorded in 2021, they are still well above historical norms. To give you an idea of just how many openings that is, it amounts to 7.5% of all employment in the region. Or, for every 100 filled jobs in the region, 7.5 are unfilled and open for job seekers.

The median wage offer for all openings combined was $18.05 per hour, an astonishing 18.2% increase from 2021 from a gain of $2.77 per hour. While that is a massive increase, inflation during the same period offset much of that gain. Despite the negative impact of high inflation, it's important to note that "real" wage growth (adjusted for inflation) still gained considerable ground in the region, growing by 9.4% since 2021 (see Figure 1).

Like prior years, the largest number of openings were for Food Prep & Serving occupations (2,629 openings), followed by Sales & Related (2,437 openings) and Transportation & Material Moving (1,845 openings). High numbers of openings are common in occupational categories, like these, that have high turnover rates.

Entry level occupations can be considered the start of a person's career ladder, an easily accessible proving ground that supports many other career pathways. While typically viewed negatively by employers, high turnover rates in this case are the result of new workers getting their first job in an entry level occupation and gaining the skills and experience that prepare them for their next position, thus leaving and creating another opening. Food Prep & Serving occupations are a great example of a largely entry level category with this turnover pattern. Most of the openings are part-time (72%) and they had the lowest median wage offer ($13.43), becoming a highly flexible labor force entry point with few barriers.

For More Information

Contact Luke Greiner, Labor Market Analyst, at luke.greiner@state.mn.us