The one upside to the state's labor shortage is that now is a good time to be job hunting, particularly for new graduates and entry-level workers.

Steve Hine, DEED's director of labor market infomation, sees a "sellers' market" for labor for the foreseeable future.

“If the current conditions persist and we don’t go into a deep trade war,” Hine says, “we could anticipate the first real balance of power shift to the worker side of the equation that we’ve seen in a long time.” 

DEED announced Job Creation Fund (JCF) grants to support five business expansions in Greater Minnesota, including $175,000 for a project in Albert Lea. Mortarr plans to invest $1 million to renovate the first and second floors of a building in downtown Albert Lea that will serve as the company’s headquarters.

“We are very honored to be one of the JCF grant recipients,” said Steve Pulley, co-founder and chief operating officer at Mortarr. “We are committed to the city of Albert Lea and the state of Minnesota, and are excited to see Mortarr grow with this support.”

Only 12 percent of job candidates are hired through job boards, according to employment specialist Catherine Byers Breet. Breet will offer a two-hour workshop on July 17 at the Bloomington WorkForce Center on how to find the right job. She will examine why employers hide their jobs, explain three simple steps for finding hidden jobs and discuss the best people to help you get hired. Details are here.