Job vacancies were up nearly 50 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011, compared with the same period a year earlier. Employers reported nearly 50,000 job openings, according to the latest figures from the Department of Employment and Economic Development.

The number of jobs held by teens in Minnesota has declined during the past decade, with fewer than half of them holding jobs. But it's better than last year, said an official with Minnesota's Department of Employment and Economic Development. And it's better for Minnesota teens than teens in the rest of the nation, where only 25 percent are employed.

A new report by BMO Capital Markets paints a picture of Minnesota's economy as slowly but surely recovering. The unemployment rate of less than six percent is helped by fresh hiring in the construction industry and an easing of job cuts among government employees. Housing is still considered a weak spot, but at least prices are recovering and there are signs that more building is on the horizon.

There were about 100 more online job postings in Minnesota this month compared to September, according to the Conference Board. Minnesota's chief labor market analyst tells MPR that online job postings have consistently been stronger in Minnesota, perhaps because "employers in Minnesota are adapting to that technology more rapidly."

The odds of finding a job in Minnesota are getting better, the Pioneer Press reports. Job postings climbed 15 percent in the second quarter compared with the same period a year ago, the state reported on Thursday. Employers reported nearly 63,000 openings, up from 54,700 last year.

In total, the state added 28,400 jobs last month as laid-off state employees returned to work following the three-week government shutdown. The state's jobless rate went unchanged, at 7.2 percent.

The phone company is streamlining units that serve business and government customers. The cuts take effect on April first, which is the one-year anniversary of CenturyLink's $12 billion purchase of Qwest.