City of Minneapolis sees strong increase in prospective employee applications

May 1, 2024
Human Resources

Applicants, hires, gender and ethnic diversity all up after sustained Human Resources push to bolster recruitment and retention efforts

Minneapolis’ first quarter hiring figures are exceeding 2023’s in several categories. The number of hires, the total applicants, diversity of people hired and the time taken to fill positions have all improved measurably for this year.

“The data is clear: people want to work for the City of Minneapolis,” said Mayor Jacob Frey. “Over the past year, our HR department has been working their tails off to both bolster our recruitment efforts and strengthen intentional retention initiatives across the entire enterprise. The heart and soul of the city is our incredible workforce, and I’m so proud of the staff who continue to show up each and every day to serve our community with passion and pride.”

“These figures show our successes toward one of our top human resources priorities: positioning the City of Minneapolis as an employer of choice and hiring talented, diverse employees so the City’s workforce reflects the demographics of the community we serve,” said Chief Human Resources Officer Nikki Odom.

The City of Minneapolis is open for business and has many exciting opportunities for job applicants of all skill sets in a variety of roles. The City invests in its talent by providing competitive compensation, benefits and growth opportunities.

The City has set out to attract, engage and onboard exceptional and diverse talent and to align their skills and passions with opportunities for public service. Goals and strategies include cultivating partnerships, promoting innovation, offering full-service hiring and providing an exceptional candidate experience.  

That work is paying off:

Increase in hiring and applicants

  • While many organizations are still rebounding from a high number of vacancies post pandemic, the City of Minneapolis is closing the vacancy gap, particularly in understaffed roles such as 911 call takers.
  • In the first quarter of 2024, the number of hires increased 26% compared to this time last year, growing from 207 to 258.
  • The City saw a 101% increase in applicants for its open positions, from 5,101 to 10,250.
  • Additionally, the time to fill positions has decreased from 102 to 71 days.

Retention and pathways to growth

  • More participants are being hired into employment pathway programs such as community service officers, police cadets and Public Works service worker trainees.
  • In Q1 2024, internal promotions made up 33% of City hires.
  • Additionally, in 2023’s annual employee engagement survey, 85% of the City workforce reported their work is meaningful and 78% of respondents indicated that they intend to stay employed at the City of Minneapolis.

Increase in diversity

  • The City’s HR team is actively participating in job fairs, media events, radio appearances, and key community events that are reaching diverse audiences.
  • In Q1 2024, there was a measurable increase in the diversity of people hired compared to this time last year:
    • 56% increase in Hispanic or Latino people hired.
    • 57% increase in Native American people hired.
    • 14% increase in Asian people hired.
    • 8% increase in Black or African American people hired.
    • 4% increase in women hired.

More information about jobs with the City can be found on the City website.

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