When it comes to employment, there’s nothing worse than disliking what you do. A startling 20 to 40 percent of workers state that they hate their job, according to a Forbes magazine article. A CBS News article referenced a Gallup study showing that 16 percent of workers are ‘actively disengaged.’

Put into context, the most current estimates from DEED’s Local Area Unemployment Statistics show that there are about 216,000 employed people in the Southwest Planning Region. Based on the above percentages, between 35,000 and 85,000 workers may not like their current jobs.

Fortunately, many resources can help people determine more suitable occupations that will, hopefully, increase their job satisfaction. Minnesota has recently launched a new website to help guide people toward rewarding careers. CareerForceMN.com is designed to help connect individuals to opportunities, and provide valuable economic and employment development information for employers. Users can create an account and start exploring careers here.

Job seekers can also take an assessment on O*NET that will give them their three-letter Holland Code, then get a listing of specific, related occupations. They can also use the letters in their unique code to do their own exploration using DEED’s data tools (Table 1).

Just over half of the total employment in the region lies within five occupational groups: office and administrative support; production; food preparation and serving; sales; and transportation and material moving. When linked to Holland Codes, these top five groups cover a wide range of interests. For example, office and administrative support occupations may be a good fit for someone who scores high as conventional, whereas food preparation and serving jobs may be well suited for those with high realistic scores.

For More Information

Contact Luke Greiner at 320-308-5378 or Mark Schultz.