Minnesota job openings rose 48% in quarter

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Minnesota job openings rose 48% in quarter

Job openings across Minnesota jumped nearly 48 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011 from a year ago as demand surged for workers in health care, social services, stores, bars and hotels, according to state survey results released Tuesday.

The "Job Vacancy Survey" found that employers reported 49,900 full- and part-time job openings in October, November and December compared with only 33,800 a year ago.

Economists note that employment in Minnesota has crept upward for months. UnitedHealth Group, the Mayo Clinic and hundreds of stores and restaurants added workers late last year, in some cases to cope with the holiday rush and in other cases because of business growth. The latest report comes one month after Minnesota announced that it gained 7,900 jobs in December, and the unemployment rate fell to 5.7 percent, the lowest in three years.

The statewide survey, conducted twice a year, found that 11 percent of surveyed employers said they will add workers in the next six months. That's up from 8 percent a year ago.

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more: http://www.startribune.com/business/140800193.html