Minnesota Health Care Seeks 21,000 Workers

State survey shows health care openings remain high even as overall job openings fell 10.8% in 2025.

Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Nursing Jobs

Minnesota Health Care Seeks 21,000 Workers

Live Poll

Do you think getting health care in your area is getting harder?

Minnesota employers sought nearly 21,000 health care workers in 2025, according to the state's 2025 Job Vacancy Survey. Overall openings statewide fell 10.8% from the year before, even as health care demand stayed strong.

Why it matters

Ongoing shortages in health care make it harder for families to find care and strain the broader health system, according to DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek. For Minnesota, health care is now the largest employer in central Minnesota, with more than 52,000 jobs.

The 2025 survey counted 12,593 openings for health care professionals and technicians and 8,368 for support workers, out of 107,384 total statewide openings. Typical offered pay rose 28 cents to $20.95 an hour, while about 40% of openings were part-time.

The players

Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED)

The state agency that conducts the Job Vacancy Survey and tracks labor market trends across Minnesota.

Matt Varilek

The DEED commissioner who warned that ongoing health care worker shortages make it harder for families to find care.

The details

The figures come from the 2025 Job Vacancy Survey conducted by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. Registered nurses and personal care aides were among the five most in-demand jobs in Minnesota last year, with nearly 4,000 openings each.

2024: Prior-year baseline for openings and wages.
2025: Survey counts health care and overall statewide openings.
2020: Last year job seekers outnumbered open jobs in Minnesota.
November 2026: Celebrate Caring Careers Month in Minnesota.
Next 10 years: DEED projects health care will add more jobs than any other industry.

Market Landscape

Health care and social assistance is projected by DEED to add more jobs over the next decade than every other industry combined, extending a long-running demand trend tracked by the Job Vacancy Survey. Minnesota's openings fell even as health care demand held, placing the sector as the state's strongest hiring area.

Continued shortages can lengthen wait times and limit access to care for Minnesota families. Job seekers with health care training may find more openings, including many part-time roles, than in other sectors.

The takeaway

Health care remains the most reliable source of new work in Minnesota, so workers considering a career change may find strong demand and room for part-time schedules. Employers face continued competition for staff as overall openings decline.