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Local Look Regional Data
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Detailing the Labor Market

This month's blogs provide insights into various parts of Minnesota’s evolving labor market. Central Minnesota [ [link removed] ] reveals what employers are saying in real time through a new survey; the Twin Cities [ [link removed] ] examines labor force shifts using DEED’s LAUS data; Northeast [ [link removed] ] demystifies the ‘Other Services’ industry and its role in the economy; Northwest [ [link removed] ] explores declining college enrollment and its impact on the talent pipeline; Southeast [ [link removed] ] highlights the challenges of an aging workforce and looming retirements; and Southwest [ [link removed] ] uncovers the industry subsector that has the highest employment concentration. For more information, please reach out to your ""*regional analyst. [ [link removed] ]*""

Central Minnesota Blog [ [link removed] ]

A new survey taken in October 2025 [ [link removed] ] of professionals who work directly with businesses – including economic development staff, Chamber staff and employer services staff at Local Workforce Development Areas – offers a timely snapshot of employer sentiment. These staff across various organizations are privy to a trove of information they glean from their conversations with employers on various topics. This survey is our attempt to provide a platform to share current data about what is on the minds of the employers we work with, and the results displayed in an interactive Tableau dashboard [ [link removed] ] that compares results for each of the six planning regions of Minnesota and Minnesota statewide.

Twin Cities Metro Blog [ [link removed] ]

As we enter the new year, let's quickly revisit recent labor force trends in the Metro Area from 2025. We can grab and analyze this data from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics [ [link removed] ] (LAUS) data tool. Among DEED's most popular tools, LAUS data reveals labor force statistics for the state of Minnesota, its regions, counties and even some of the state's larger cities. This data is released monthly and is based off of a number of surveys including the Current Population Survey [ [link removed] ] (CPS) and Current Employment Statistics [ [link removed] ] (CES)..

Northeast Minnesota Blog [ [link removed] ]

What exactly are "Other Services"? The North American Industry Classification System [ [link removed] ], better known as NAICS, is not well-known outside of the labor market information field. It is the system that we labor market nerds use to organize and describe employment by industry. Some industry definitions are relatively straightforward, such as Manufacturing, Construction, Mining or Health Care and Social Assistance. Intuitively, you largely can understand what businesses in these industry sectors do. But what about "Other Services"?

Northwest Minnesota Blog [ [link removed] ]

In 2019, 62% of Northwest Minnesota high school graduates enrolled in college the following fall. By 2022, that figure dropped to 55%, where it has remained through 2024. Statewide, the pattern was similar, but less severe. Fall enrollment rates dropped from 66% for the class of 2019 to 62% for the class of 2020, then fluctuated between 61% and 62% through 2024. And high school graduates aren't just enrolling at lower rates, those who do enroll are increasingly choosing shorter programs.

Southeast Minnesota Blog [ [link removed] ]

When workers retire, they take years of accumulated knowledge, established client relationships and expertise with them. Someone who's been doing a job for two decades has built networks, developed shortcuts, and learned to navigate situations in ways that can't be quickly replicated. For industries with older workforces, a wave of retirements means a lot of institutional knowledge could disappear in a relatively short time. Southeast Minnesota's workforce is getting older. Across all industries, nearly 25% of workers are 55 years or older. But some industries are aging faster than others, and the differences are worth paying attention to.

Southwest Minnesota Blog [ [link removed] ]

Location Quotients [ [link removed] ] are a measurement of an industry's employment concentration in a region relative to that industry's concentration in the state. A location quotient of 1.0 means that the region's employment concentration is equal to its statewide concentration, while anything greater than 1.0 means that there is a higher employment concentration. At 5.5, the industry with the highest location quotient in Southwest Minnesota was Electrical Equipment, Appliance and Component Manufacturing.

AI's growing impact on Minnesota job seekers revealed in new survey

AI and Minnesota

More than a third of CareerForce Staff and Partners who responded to the most recent Job Search Experience Survey said their job seeking clients’ employment or job search had been affected by Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the past three months.

From AI-attributed job loss to AI-enhanced resumes, learn more about the ways AI is impacting Minnesota job seekers [ [link removed] ].













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""*"Each month, DEED's Regional Analysis & Outreach unit [ [link removed] ] produces a series of blogs exploring local labor market information. "Please reach out to your regional analyst [ [link removed] ] if you or your staff would be interested in having a customized LMI training session [ [link removed] ]. We would be happy to accommodate your training requests, either on LMI Data Tools [ [link removed] ] or local economic conditions [ [link removed] ]!*""










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