As the number of aging baby boomers continue to cross the retirement threshold, the lack of sufficient labor supply will grow to a bigger and bigger issue. Effective employment forecasting decisions require an understanding of the regional economy and the market - current market conditions, underlying trends, and future challenges.

The Minnesota Hospital Association has developed customized reports for hospitals based on data from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (MN DEED). The links below provide a snapshot of information for those positions high in demand and hard to fill in the health-care industry (long-term care data included).

Table 1 - Planning Regions

This map shows the breakdown
of regions from which the data
reporting job vacancies,
wage rates, and employment
projects was collected and
determined.

Tables 2 and 3 are made available by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development and are updated the end of February and August of each year.

Table 2 - Job Vacancies by Planning Region, Fourth Quarter 2008, MS Excel: [XLS].

Table 3 - Second Quarter 2007 Employment and Fourth Quarter 2008 Wage Rates by Planning Region, MS Excel: [XLS].

Table 4 is a 10-year forecast of employment projections that is updated in August of even years (2006, 2008, etc.)

Table 4 - Employment Projections by Planning Region, MS Excel: [XLS].

Last quarters' data is available here for trending by region or state.