Part-Time Job Openings Up 70 Percent in Greater Minnesota
JOBS NOW Coalition
Job Vacancy FACT SHEET—April 2015
Part-Time Job Openings Up 70 Percent in Greater Minnesota
In Greater Minnesota there are 48,000 job seekers competing for 40,000 job openings, according to the latest Job Vacancy Survey from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).* The 1.2-to-1 ratio of job seekers to job openings is the best since DEED first did the survey in 2001.**
Most of the increase in Greater Minnesota openings is driven by a big jump in part-time, low-wage openings. Over the last year, part-time openings rose by 70 percent.
A quarter of all openings are in the two occupations with the lowest wages—food preparation and serving, and sales. There’s no evidence that growth in these occupations has been adversely affected by the increase in the state minimum wage. For example:
- In the survey from a year ago, conducted before the minimum wage hike, food preparation and serving had 2,500 openings.
- In the current survey, conducted after the minimum wage hike, food preparation and serving has 6,000 openings—almost two-and-a-half times as many openings as a year ago.
Other findings for Greater Minnesota include:
- Less than one-third of all openings require education or training beyond high school.
- Half of all openings are part-time.
- The median wage for part-time openings is $10.00 per hour.***
According to DEED’s Cost of Living in Minnesota research, a family-supporting wage for the five planning regions in Greater Minnesota ranges from $13.25 to $16.00 per hour. **** To see the updated research by planning region, use DEED’s Cost of Living Calculator at http://mn.gov/deed/data /data-tools/col/index.jsp
Questions? Contact Kevin Ristau at 651-290-0240 or kristau@jobsnowcoalition.org
* Greater Minnesota consists of all the state’s planning regions, excluding the seven-county metro region.
** Figures for job seekers and job openings are from fourth quarter 2014. https://apps.deed.state.mn.us/lmi/jvs/ChooseAreaMap.aspx
*** A median is a midway point; half of the jobs are above it, half below.
**** The average Minnesota family size is three persons; the average workweek is 33.7 hours. Partnered, 1 full-time and 1 part-time worker, 1 child, provides a standard yearly cost and hourly wage needed for a typical family, regardless of how the weekly work hours are distributed between the two adults.