Job Search Experience Survey

Staff at the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) are always seeking new ways to collect data, analyze current labor market conditions and serve Minnesotans better. In collaboration with Local Workforce Development Boards and community-based partners, DEED surveys hundreds of workforce development professionals in the CareerForce system, which includes DEED staff, Local Workforce Development Board staff and community partners across Minnesota.

These frontline workforce development professionals in the CareerForce system serve thousands of job seekers across Minnesota every week, so they are able to offer a great sense of the current job search environment across the state as well as comparisons to the job search environment a year ago. A survey of job seekers themselves would likely not be able to provide such an objective comparison over the year, nor would it be possible to consistently survey job seekers after they find employment.

The collected survey results are transformed into an interactive data visualization that allows staff, partners, and the public to see the labor market through the eyes of those who work directly with job seekers. Conducted twice each year, the survey will build a time series that not only tracks the health of Minnesota’s labor market but also sheds light on emerging trends and shifts affecting job seekers in real time.

Nearly 63% of CareerForce Staff and Partners who responded to the January 2026 Job Search Experience Survey said it was harder than a year ago for their job seeking customers to find work. This is up from 59% who responded similarly in the last Job Search Experience survey in July 2025. About 9% of respondents to the most recent survey said it was easier for their clients to find work now versus a year ago, while 28% said the job search experience of job seekers they work with is about the same as January 2025.