September is Workforce Development Month, a time to highlight how workforce development professionals across the state are connecting Minnesotans with employment and helping Minnesota employers hire the staff they need for their businesses to thrive. It’s also a time to highlight ways to help more Minnesotans overcome barriers to employment so they can join or rejoin the labor force, filling in-demand positions, providing vital services, supporting themselves and their families and helping to grow our economy. 

CareerForce is made up of staff from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), staff from Minnesota’s 16 Local Workforce Development Boards (LWDBs) and workforce development partners across the state. CareerForce staff and partners are currently serving larger numbers of job seekers in many locations than they were a few years ago, even as a smaller share of Minnesotans is engaged in the labor force. Minnesota’s unemployment rate has gone up by half a point over the past year to 4.3% in July, while the state’s labor force participation rate has declined by more than a point to 66.9%. 

CareerForce job counselors throughout Minnesota are on the front lines in serving job seekers and they share insights from this work via the Job Search Experience Survey. Nearly 56% of respondents to the most recent survey said it was harder than a year ago for their job-seeking customers to find work. The respondents’ most common open-ended comments described how they are helping people overcome barriers to employment, including a lack of childcare and transportation, a criminal record or language challenges. Job counselors also say AI is having a growing impact on job seekers: 42% 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. 

At the same time, Minnesota employers continue to face challenges finding the workers they need, despite the loosening labor market, according to a survey of workforce development and economic development staff throughout the state who work with employers. One theme that emerged from Employer Experience Survey responses: Staff say that while employers may have more applicants for open positions, they still lack qualified applicants, especially for the trades and entry-level health care roles. 

CareerForce staff and partners are working to bridge the gap between people looking for work and the employers looking to hire. Helping job seekers develop the skills needed by employers is at the heart of this work, as is helping job seekers identify achievable employment goals on an in-demand career path, so they can find stable, family-sustaining employment. 

Workforce development professionals in the CareerForce system help job seekers prepare for and find work now with a range of no-cost services, as well as training programs for eligible Minnesotans. CareerForce services are available in person, over the phone and online, to help people explore their career options, access training, prepare for job interviews, update their resume and network to find employment now.  

Workforce development is critically important to the economic health of our state, communities and Minnesota families – and it's especially important during times of economic uncertainty and a shifting labor market, as we are currently experiencing.

• If you're looking for work –  or looking for workers –  you're invited to connect with one of the more than 50 CareerForce locations around the state by visiting CareerForce.MN.gov/locations or by calling 651-259-7500.