Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, known as the Twin Cities, are the center of Minnesota employment opportunities. In fact, employers often offer higher salaries in Minneapolis/St. Paul than in comparable U.S. cities. The Twin Cities offer employment opportunites from big business to start-up tech firms. Bloomington, a Minneapolis suburb, is known for manufacturing as well as the Mall of America, a big retail and entertainment employer. Duluth, Minnesota, which is situated by Lake Superior, is a major port city. Rochester is known for the famous Mayo Clinic. These areas offer Minnesota employment opportunities.
Minnesota unemployment
Minnesota unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) increased from October 2008 to October 2009 by 2% to a rate of 7.6%
[Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics]
Minnesota Employment Opportunities
Twenty Fortune 500 firms make their home in Minnesota. These include Ecolab, 3M, CHS, LandoLakes, and Northwest Airlines. 3M, a technology company, employs 10,000 in the area. ravelers is one of the many insurance giants that make Minnesota a leader in financial services. Other businesses in the area include Wells Fargo, Securian Financial group, and US Bancorp. Medical device firms Boston Scientific, Medtronic and St. Jude Medical along with 3M are part of medical alley, a group of corporations pushing the limits of medical technology and application. In addition to large medical hospitals such as HealthEast Care System, there are also large offices for insurers HealthSystems and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. These firms contribute many administrative, executive, technical and research jobs to Minnesota employment.
Retail giant, Target, is headquartered in Minneapolis as is cereal and food giant, General Mills. Schwan’s, Hormel Foods, and Farley and Smather’s Candy all have homes in Minnesota. BestBuy, the leading electronics retailer, is headquartered in Richfield, MN. Alliant Tech, an aerospace and defense company, is headquartered in Edina, MN. The Toro Company in Bloomington specializes in sprinklers and other water systems. Also in the Twin Cities, Pepsiamericas is the second largest Pepsi bottler in the world. These manufacturers provide a wide range of development, manufacturing, corporate relations and other jobs to Minnesota employment.
The University of Minnesota, a major Minnesota employment opportunity, has a campus in Minneapolis/St. Paul that is considered a leading research center. The University also has campuses in Duluth and Rochester. Many more positions are possible through the 32 members of the Minnesota Network of State Colleges and Universities including Minnesota State University in Mankato. Many Catholic, Lutheran or other private colleges are found in St. Paul, Minneapolis and many other Minnesota towns. This concentration of educational institutions result in many academic, support and research positions available in Minnesota employment.
Rochester, home of the Mayo Clinic, has won many awards including Best Small City in America in 2000. It is also part of a life science alley that stretches from the Mayo to the biotech firms in the Twin Cities. In this ‘alley’ are industries such as Cargill and Upsher-Smith Laboratories, all contributing to Minnesota employment.
Minnesota Employment Resources
Most companies that were listed in the previous section have websites that contain information about careers with those cojmpanies. Cargill, an international marketer of food and food products, can be found at http://www.cargill.com/careers/index.jsp. CHS, an energy grains and food company, can be found through the careers page at www.chsinc.com/portal. Specific job listings are available plus an opportunity to submit your resume for Minnesota employment.
The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce lists a number of private Minnesota employment agencies at minneapolischamber.org/agencies.php. Other job opportunites can be found at http://minneapolischamber.org/opportunities.php. The Minnesota WorkForceCenter has many resources for Minnesota employment. It can be found at www.mnwfc.org. If you are looking for an executive recruiting service, one private company offers multiple services for executives: networkcareersinc.com. Job opportunities wtihin the Minnesota Network of State Colleges and Universities can be found at http://www.mnscu.edu/about/jobopportunities/index.html.
St. Paul, the capital of Minnesota, is also home to the many departments and agencies of Minnesota. Jobs within these agencies can be found through the Minnesota Office of Management and Budget at www.mmb.state.mn.us.
Minnesota Living Conditions
Minnesota is well-known for its long snowy winters. Large cities generally deal with snow by rolling out the snow shovels and getting on with life’s business. Snow fall in the Twin Cities may reach 35 inches over the course of a winter. Swift snow removal is a hallmark of the cities. Although many choose to commute by car, the Twin Cities do have bus service and some light rail.
Average temperatures in the Twin Cities are 11 degrees below zero Celsius in the winter and 23 degrees Celsius in the summer. Spring and fall are shorter with highs no more than 15 degrees Celsius. By comparison, Duluth on Lake Superior experiences similar winter temperatures but 19 degress Celsius is the average summer high. Despite the cold, Minnesota employment opportunities continue to grow.
Minnesotans, especially those in the Twin Cities, cope with the weather by having many indoor activities such indoor water parks, indoor recreation centers and an active cultural scene. Winter activities include cross country skiing and ice skating.
Known as theater towns, the Twin Cities are home to the Guthrie, a prestigious, busy theater now housed in a remarkable structure overlooking the Mississippi River. The nationally known Children’s Theater of Minnesota has a similar reputation. Other theater enterprises make their home in the Twin Cities. Museums, theaters and a large national public radio system provide a boost to Minnesota employment.
Minnesota was originally settled by Germans, Swedes, Norwegians, Poles, English and other Northern Europeans. However, this mix has slowly changed to include the second largest Hmong community in the United States as well as many of Chinese, Vietnamese or other Asian origin. Another large population group is from Africa. These groups live primarily in the Twin Cities and Rochester. These communities and the corporate push for international success guarantee international employees are welcome in Minnesota employment.
Minnesota Employment
For many years, Minneapolis/St. Paul have been rated among the best places in the nation to live and work. There is a hard-working mentality that gives way to an easy-going, fun-loving mentality after work hours. If you’re looking for diverse opportunities which pay better than national average salaries, Minnesota employment is for you.
