Minneapolis Job Market Evolves Amid Challenges: Healthcare Soars, Strikes Disrupt, Opportunities Abound

The Minneapolis job market shows modest growth amid statewide challenges, with the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area adding 0.6% jobs over the past year through December 2025, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development's December 2025 Employment Analysis report. Employment remains robust at around 2.3 million in the metro, driven by education and health services which added over 21,000 positions statewide, though federal jobs dropped by 2,000 in 2025 per the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal due to government cuts. The unemployment rate hovers near 4%, lower than the state average nudging to 4.1% as reported by KDHL Radio, but masks potential hidden unemployment from labor force shrinkage.

Major industries include healthcare, finance, manufacturing with employers like Target, UnitedHealth Group, and 3M dominating, alongside growing sectors in technology and professional services. Trends indicate steady recovery post-pandemic, but recent developments feature economic strain from a surge in ICE activity prompting the "ICE Out of Minnesota" general strike on January 23, 2026, closing over 500 businesses and disrupting operations, as noted by HR Brew and the Minneapolis Regional Chamber. Seasonal patterns show winter slowdowns in construction and retail, with commuting trends favoring hybrid work reducing downtown flows per DEED analyses. Government initiatives via DEED include CareerForce programs, small business loans, and workforce training grants, though data gaps exist on precise metro-level industry breakdowns and post-strike impacts.

The market evolves toward resilience with 1.2% statewide job gains outpacing the national 0.3%, yet vulnerabilities from federal cuts and strikes persist. Key findings highlight healthcare's strength offsetting losses elsewhere, low unemployment signaling tightness, and urgent need for immigration policy stability to sustain growth.

Current openings include software engineer at Target, registered nurse at UnitedHealth Group, and data analyst at 3M.

Thank you listeners for tuning in, and please subscribe for more updates. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai.

For more http://www.quietplease.ai

Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta

This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI