Nearly 56% of CareerForce Staff and Partners who responded to the most recent Job Search Experience Survey and who have worked with job seekers for at least the past year said it was harder than a year ago for their job seeking customers to find work. This is down from nearly 63% who responded similarly in the last Job Search Experience survey in January 2026 and down from 59% in July 2025.

Percentage of Respondents Indicating it is More Difficult to Find Work than a Year Ago

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Nearly 13% of respondents to the most recent survey said it was easier for their clients to find work now versus a year ago, compared to 9% who responded similarly in January 2026 and 12% in July 2025.

The top three positions that the most CareerForce Staff and Partners say are easier to get hired for in Minnesota compared to last year are:

• Health care support positions like Nursing Assistants and Personal Care and Home Health Aides
• Food Service Workers like Chefs, Servers and Bartenders
• Cleaning and Maintenance Workers like Janitors, Landscapers and Housekeepers

The top three positions that the most CareerForce Staff and Partners say are considerably harder to get hired for than last year include:

• IT and Math Experts like Software Engineers and IT Support Specialists
• Office Support Staff like Receptionists, Administrative Assistants, Accounting Clerks
• Managers and Leaders like Business Executives, School Principals and Construction Managers AND Business and Finance Professionals like Accountants, Financial Advisors, HR Specialists and Project Managers (tied)

Those easier to get hired for and harder to get hired for occupations haven’t changed much over the past year of surveys.

One thing that has changed: CareerForce Staff and Partner perceptions of AI impact. In the survey that closed July 3, 2026, 42% of job counselor respondents say that their job-seeking clients' employment or job search has been affected by Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the past three months. That’s compared to 34% in January 2026 and 23% in July 2025. 

Percentage of respondents who say AI has an impact on their job-seeking clients’ job search and/or employment

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Respondents who answered Yes to the AI question were able to indicate ways in which clients’ job search and/or employment have been affected by AI – they could select all the options that applied. Below are the top three selected most often:

• Job seekers have encountered AI as part of the AI process, including having a job interview with AI agent or their resume or application was screened by AI, etc.
• Job seekers have used AI in their job search, including to improve their resume or cover letter, to prepare for a job interview, etc.
• Job seekers express concerns or confusion about AI’s impact on their future career path.

Other items of note: 75% of respondents said they had provided services to job seekers who are unhoused, or at risk of becoming unhoused and the top job attributes (aside from wages) that job seekers are looking for are a flexible schedule, remote or telework options and job security. 

The most recent Job Search Experience Survey opened on June 22, 2026 and closed on July 3, 2026 and was completed by 316 workforce development professionals who work directly with job seekers in Minnesota. The respondents are staff of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), Local Workforce Development Areas and community-based workforce development organizations. Of the respondents, 288 have worked with job seekers for at least a year and were invited to complete the survey questions that required a year-over-year comparison. The Job Search Experience Survey is conducted online twice a year. View a Tableau visualization of survey results here.

• Need help preparing for and finding employment? Contact Minnesota’s job search experts at a CareerForce location near you
• Need help understanding Minnesota's labor market? Contact the DEED Labor Market Information analyst in your part of Minnesota