ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) -- According to the Minnesota Department of
Employment and Economic Development, the unemployment rate in Olmsted
County fell to 4.1 percent in November.
That's 0.4 percent lower than October of this year.
Right now Olmsted County is a full percentage point lower than the state average of 5.1 percent.
The
main reason for low unemployment is Mayo Clinic, said Bruce Thompson,
Workforce Development Coordinator at Workforce Development, Inc. The new proton building is driving demand for workers like carpenters and other
skilled positions.
Over at Express Employment in Rochester, Curt
Wigham says he had an especially hard time filling metalworking
positions, and the wages in that industry are going up. While he says it
makes his job harder, it's good for the area.
"Anytime that
people's wages rise and there's more people working, means more taxes
are being paid on their income to the federal and state government,"
Wigham said. "That means that they can spend more on Christmas. They can
spend more on their birthday. They can do more of everything because they
have more money in their pocket, so it should benefit everybody in every
area."
Other areas of growth are in healthcare, hospitality and high-end information technology.
The trend is a bit different in December however, employers have been holding off on hiring because of fear of the fiscal cliff.
