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ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS ■ WWW.TWINCITIES.COM FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, ♦. 2002 FORMATIOisi thejobs are Though vacancies BEST BETS BY INDUSTRY• fall, industries still Job vacancies overall dropped more than40 percent Minnesota in the final three months of 2001;here's where most of thejob o enin s were.• have openings Occupational group Openings vs.2000(%) Part time% Median wage Sales and related 7,037 -63.9% 59% '. $7 50 BY MIKE HUGHLETT • Food prep and serving 6,429 -42.1'; 66 7.50 Pioneer Press Office support 6,102 -57.7 27 10.00 Health care 3,909 -22.5', 44 17.54 Worker shortages have evaporated in . Transportation and material moving 3,552 -19.5 74 10.71 many Minnesota industries, but not in Education,training and library 2,885 +30.0 52 10.10 health care, where employers continue Business and financial operations 2,451 -27.9` 1 24.04 scrounging for everyone from registered Personal care 2,348 -42.6 47 8.25 nurses to home health aides. Health care support 2,239 -32.5 60 10.00 That's the word from a semi-annual Production 1,516• 74.6 9 • 9.00 le state job,vacancy survey released Thurs- day by the Minnesota Department of Eco- Source:Minnesota Department of Economic Security nomic Security. The vacancy survey is the flip side of the monthly unemployment report The same time in 2000, according to the survey. tively high-paying technical jobs (with a former measures jobs without workers;the Or looked at another way,there were three median wage of$16.50 an hour) and tela- latter, workers without jobs. As the unem- vacancies for every 100 filled jobs during tively low-paying support jobs (with a ployment rate has risen during the past the fourth quarter,about half the vacancies median wage of$9.65 an hour). year,the job vacancy rate has fallen. per 100 jobs during the same period a year Health care has traditionally had a high In fact, during the fourth quarter, job ago. vacancies dropped 43 percent from the Vacancies in health care include rela- JOB VACANCIES,6C Jobgrowing sector,"said Todd Gra- nesota:2.9 percent compared to `- ham,regional analysis manager 3.4 percent at the Department of Economic The fourth quarter vacancy VacanciesSecurity "It's an industry in rate was highest in the state's which no on is going to say, northwestern region and lowest (continued) "there's a recession, I don't in the southeast.The southeast think I'll get that pacemaker."" includes Rochester, a strong- vacancy rate,as many of its jobs Other industries with rela- hold of health care jobs. The are physically or emotionally tively high vacancy rates — vacancy rate in Stearns and .? challenging. For example, nurs- food preparation, social servic- Benton counties is a bit lower ing homes struggle to find nurs- es,personal care services—all than in the Twin Cities — not ing assistants to aid sick sen- have median wages below $10 good news in light of the demise iors, while hospitals and clinics an hour. of Fingerhut. 411 increasingly lose potential nurs- The Twin Cities saw a partic- The company, St. Cloud's es to industries that pay better. ularly big drop in job vacancies largest employer, announced Meanwhile, the health care from 2000's fourth quarter to the Wednesday that it would proba- sector's demand for employees same quarter last year: 52 per- bly close,terminating 4,700 jobs, is increasing, despite the reces- cent. In greater Minnesota, the including 2,670 in St.Cloud. sion that has caused employ- drop was 22 percent. The Twin ment declines in other indus- Cities also has a lower vacancy Mike Hughlett can be reached at tries. rate (meaning fewer vacancies mhughlett@pioneerpress.com or "Health care remains a per worker) than greater Min- (651)228-5428.