Majority of Jobs Lost During Pandemic Recovered, Twin Ports Employers Still Short on Labor, Officials Say

So employers have been trying to make themselves more appealing. For example, wages have gone up 10% on average.

DULUTH, Minn.- The Twin Ports job market is headed in the right direction.

That’s according to Duluth Workforce Development officials, who say 76% of the jobs lost since the pandemic began have been recovered.

But according to the Director of Workforce Development, Elena Foshay, every industry is still experiencing labor shortages with about 2 jobs per seeker for each field.

So employers have been trying to make themselves more appealing. For example, wages have gone up 10% on average.

So as officials project the job market to stabilize at the end of this year, they say employers have to do more to attract job seekers.

“Every employer that’s hiring needs to really think about how to make themselves competitive in the job market,” said Foshay. “I think job seekers are looking for different things than they ever have before.”

“It’s not just wages it has to do with quality of life, it has to do with work/life balance, it has to do with opportunities for advancement,” she said.

Foshay said to stay tuned for free training for healthcare careers, commercial driving licenses, and construction.