Majority of CareerForce staff and partners say it is harder for job seekers to find work now compared to a year ago

Nearly 63% of CareerForce Staff and Partners who responded to the most recent Job Search Experience Survey said it was harder than a year ago for their job seeking customers to find work. This is up from 59% who responded similarly in the last Job Search Experience survey in July 2025. About 9% of respondents to the most recent survey said it was easier for their clients to find work now versus a year ago.

Positions that many 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
Creative Professionals and Media Workers like Graphic Designers and Writers
Managers and Leaders like Business Executives, School Principals, and Construction Managers

Positions that many CareerForce Staff and Partners say are easier to get hired for in Minnesota compared to last year include:

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

It’s also worth noting that 30% of respondents said no positions are easier to get hired for now versus January 2025.

Other topline findings include:

86% of respondents said they had provided services to job seekers who are unhoused, or at risk of becoming unhoused
34% of respondents said they served job-seeking clients whose employment or job search had been affected by Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the past three months

Another note: significantly more staff reported they had served clients who lost employment due to AI in the optional open-ended comment about AI impact than made such comments in the July 2025 survey.

The most recent Job Search Experience Survey closed on January 16 and was completed by 279 workforce development professionals who work directly with job seekers in Minnesota. Of those 279 workforce development professionals, 91% (253) of the respondents 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.