September is Workforce Development Month
September 9, 2019
Governor Walz declared September as Workforce Development Month in the State of Minnesota. At DEED, we are kicking off a month-long series of events to examine and address the opportunities and challenges in growing Minnesota's workforce.
Minnesota has a lot to be proud of w hen it comes to our state's workforce. We reached 3,108,951 total jobs in June and have added 348,054 new jobs since 2011. Wages have also increased by 24.1% during that same time period.
But we know that challenges exist. Businesses are struggling to find and retain workers, and our state currently has nearly 137,000 vacant positions that need to be filled — a historically high number.