By Martin Moylan

MPR.org/90.1 FM

Demand for workers in Minnesota continues strong.

The state’s employers reported 97,600 job vacancies in the second quarter of this year. That’s slightly less than the number reported a year ago, when job openings hit the second-highest total on record, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

“We have the most job vacancies in health care and social assistance accommodation and food service and retail trade,” said Oriane Casale, a labor market analyst at DEED. “Health care continues to be a growing industry, hiring lots and lots of people.”

Health care and social assistance accounted for a fifth of the openings statewide, followed by accommodation and food services, retail trade, manufacturing, and construction.

Half of the job openings were in the Twin Cities, where the ratio of unemployed people to job vacancies was 1-to-1.

In Greater Minnesota, there were 1.3 unemployed people for each job vacancy.

“It continues to be a tight labor market,” Casale said. “Employers have the burden of filling open positions, while job hunters are in a fairly good position to find a job.”