People looking for an employment field with strong long-term demand and a great opportunity for career growth may want to consider working in a Caring Career. You can find all sorts of resources related to working in home-, community- and facility based care in Minnesota now on the Follow Your Heart to a Caring Career page here on CareerForceMN.com.
You are also encouraged to check out CareerForce's ever-popular Jobs in Demand that Don't Require a College Degree page, which shows that Caring Career positions are two of the top five jobs in demand in Minnesota now. Nursing Assistants are currently ranked #1 for demand in Minnesota and Home Health & Personal Care Aides are ranked #5 for demand.
- There are 24,869 people working as Nursing Assistants in Minnesota (2022 median hourly wage: $19.44)
- Home Health & Personal Care Aides is the single largest occupation in Minnesota with close to 106,640 workers, (2022 median hourly wage: $15.88)
Wages are going up for many Caring Career positions.
In all, there are more than 45,000 open Health Care & Social Assistance positions in Minnesota – according to the latest Job Vacancy Survey results released in April. Vacancy rates are much higher for home-, community- and facility-based care than for most other occupations:
- 17% vacancy rate (percentage of open positions compared all positions for that occupation in the state) for nursing assistants
- 12% vacancy rate for home health and personal care aides
That's compared to a vacancy rate of 6.9% for all jobs statewide.
The many unfilled Caring Career positions are having a big impact on Minnesotans:
- Many Minnesotans with disabilities cannot receive the care and support they need to remain in their homes or engage in their communities because of a caring professional staff shortage
- Many Minnesota elders cannot obtain care in assisted living, nursing home, or other elder care settings because employers at such facilities cannot find enough staff to provide care
- Many Minnesota hospitals cannot release patients ready to go back to their homes, nursing homes, or other facilities because of the caring professional staff shortage
High current and long-term demand, growing wages, many positions hiring now that require a high school diploma or equivalent and a potential for career growth! Consider making a difference in the lives of others and follow your heart to a Caring Career!
- Talk with staff at a CareerForce location near you to find out more - including information about local employment opportunities in home-, community- and facility based care.
