Job vacancies in the state now outnumber the unemployed for the first time in over 15 years, according to figures released Thursday by the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).
 
Employers surveyed by DEED reported nearly 123,000 vacancies during the second quarter of 2017, a 26 percent rise over the year-ago period. In fact, not since 2001—the only other year in which vacancies outstripped the unemployed count—did Minnesota employers report more than 100,000 vacancies.
 
“These figures show that hiring demand remains robust statewide because of increased business activity—and that’s good,” said DEED commissioner Shawntera Hardy in prepared remarks. “However, I continue to hear from employers across the state that it is increasingly difficult to fill open positions.”
 
Approximately one in every five openings in the state was for a health care or social assistance position. Accommodation and food service jobs made up the second-largest area of vacancies (17 percent), followed by retail trade (15 percent), manufacturing (9 percent), educational services (5 percent) and construction (5 percent).
 
Just under half of those unfilled openings were for part-time positions, defined as fewer than 35 hours per week, DEED said. The majority of the vacancies (about 60 percent) were for jobs in the seven-county Twin Cities metro.