Things are Going Great in Minnesota; Not Enough Workers for Job Demand

Labor shortage has companies working overtime to find new employees

A shortage of skilled labor held up construction of a storage building at the nuclear reactor in Monticello.

A sandwich-making company in Eden Prairie arranged for a special bus from Minneapolis to make sure it has enough workers layering cold cuts and smacking together egg and sausage patties.

An engineering firm in Vadnais Heights said simply posting jobs these days just doesn’t cut it.

“It’s difficult to find new workers,” said Sam Claassen, president of SEH Inc., who needs to add 100 engineers, scientists and architects at his 725-person firm in the next year. “If you went back five years, we didn’t have this issue. We had lots of applicants. But today, if we post a job, that is just not enough. We have to go out and recruit hard.”

Businesses across Minnesota and the rest of the country are feeling the pinch of a tighter labor force, one that could last for several years as the economy keeps growing and baby boomers keep retiring.

In the Twin Cities, September unemployment fell to 3.1 percent, its lowest level since 2000, forcing factories, trucking firms, retailers, engineering outfits and others to get creative — and a little more generous — in their quest for workers.

“For the first time in 60 years, it’s going to be a real seller’s market out there,” said Steve Hine, a labor market analyst for the state of Minnesota. “Those days of businesses feeling like, ‘Well, I can just advertise my opportunities at the lowest wage possible and not put a lot of effort into recruitment’ — those days are over.

http://m.startribune.com/labor-shor...ing-overtime-to-find-new-employees/352580131/



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