MinnPost: How the pandemic exacerbated Greater Minnesota’s workforce challenges

EXCERPT: “Employment data released last week showed Minnesota hit its lowest unemployment rate ever recorded, 2.2 percent statewide, and a little higher in some parts of the state, last month. That astonishingly low number might feel like cause for celebration — especially less than two years after unemployment rates spiked to 10.8 percent in May of 2020.  But the unemployment rate only focuses on who’s working or actively looking for jobs  — and not all the people who have dropped out of the labor market since the pandemic began. It turns out, that’s a significant chunk of workers, especially in Greater Minnesota, where the pandemic’s shock wobbled an aging workforce more, and may continue to do so for some time to come, according to data presented by the Center for Rural Policy and Development (CRPD) at a forum last week.” FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/3lEphQu