Hired in 2025
As we turn the page to 2026, we’re taking a moment to reflect on the past year. 2025 has been a year of tremendous change, with evolving challenges in our community, in our sector of workforce development, and for our participants and their families .
Over the past few years, as the economy has changed and the job market has tightened, the need for the services we provide has significantly increased and the community of people who need support has expanded. With a labor market shortage, we have continued to focus on connecting jobseekers with family-sustaining work, which has great benefits and room for career advancement.
During this time, Hired has responded with growth, innovation, and deeper commitment to this work, and to the community and families we support. Our focus on relationships and high quality and highly-individualized services has also led us to evolve our programs and our work, to better address the needs of our jobseekers and families, and the workforce needs of our employer partners.
At Hired, our mission remains clear: to build trust and walk alongside people as they prepare for employment, navigate systems of support, and create pathways to stability and success. Every achievement reached or challenge overcome in 2025 reflects that commitment to our community—and we’re grateful to share some of the highlights that made this year so impactful.
Program Achievements and Growth
Our Career Pathways training programs enrolled 33% more participants, reflecting a need in the community for opportunities to gain marketable skills that employers need and participants are looking to gain, to get jobs that support themselves and their families.
This year, we celebrated our first successful long term career training program funded through the Drive for Five grant initiative with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Opportunity in Semiconductor Manufacturing with three key employer partners: employer partners Polar Semiconductor, Seagate Technology, and Skywater Technology; educational partner Normandale Community College, and Hired, as the workforce development partner and grantee.
For participants like Mue Hsae who were enrolled and successfully employed through this program, this initiative was transformative. Mue says, “Hired eliminated barriers for me... so that I can fully focus on my career and education.” Check out her story here.
Hired is looking forward to welcoming a second cohort for this program in 2026.
Due to the large number of layoffs in the community, the demand for Hired’s dislocated worker program service increased to meet the needs of jobseekers.
The number of jobseekers enrolled in our Adult Services program, including individuals who were laid off from their jobs, increased by 25%. The Adult Services program connects jobseekers with skills assessments, provides support for further education and certifications for career development, and develops personalized plans for each individual, to help them connect with the training, workshops, skills building online classes, and other resources they need to land a great new job.
One of our jobseekers in the dislocated worker’s program, Jason, says: “My counselor plugged me into resources and workshops for resume writing, networking, and connecting with other people in similar situations. I feel like it all helped accelerate my search. It was very helpful - I don't think I would have ended up where I am without it. Hired means everything to people that need help. I can't quantify the impact on my confidence.” Jason secured a role after participating in an AI certification course and months of hard work with his job search.
Community Outreach and Support
This year, our team focused on outreach in the community and meeting participants and community members where they are with resources, support, and information.
Our community outreach and recruitment team, RecruitConnect, attended many education and career fairs, resource fairs at libraries, and other public events across the metro, such as Twin Cities Pride and Open Streets, to share Hired’s programs and services with community members.
Our MFIP community outreach team planned and executed an inaugural Back to School Family Fair for families who use our services. We welcomed 150+ participants’ families, handed out 120 backpacks filled with school supplies, offered free haircuts to youth, had child-friendly activities such as face painting, enjoyed refreshments, and so much more. We look forward to carrying this over into 2026!
Hired’s Youth Team was honored to receive the National Youth Employment Coalition’s Innovative Program Award
The Youth Team’s Corridors to Careers and Safe Street Save Lives were both awarded the Innovative Program Award for their many years of hard work, consistent dedication, and adaptability to the ever-changing climate.
Hired’s Corridors to Careers focuses on career exposure and developing soft skills that can help young people flourish in the job market. This year, we had 3 highly successful cohorts, and we led employment tours at Regions Hospital, Ramsey Parks, and People Incorporated, which included a panel of mental health specialists.
Safe Streets Save Lives has also been busy over the past year, hosting regular meetings centered around learning about gun violence and ways to prevent and shift the narrative around local violence.
Mimi Haley, the Executive Director of the National Youth Employment Coalition, said this about these programs:
“Our award committee was very impressed with both the Safe Streets Save Lives Gun Violence Prevention program and the Corridors to Careers program. The Safe Streets Save Lives Gun Violence prevention program is doing amazing things to advance healing in communities plagued by gun violence. The staff at Hired truly embody what it means to be changemakers in your community.”
Staff participated in many volunteer opportunities in the community.
Whether it was Safe Streets Save Live’s food drive collecting over a 100 pounds of food in a two-week period, or Hired’s Young Professionals Affinity Group and MFIP division packing 101,400 meals for Feed My Starving Children and Second Harvest Heartland collectively, Hired has encouraged staff to engage with the community in a broader way.
Hired was named top workplace!
Hired was named a Top Workplace by Minnesota Top Workplaces in 2025.
Hired was honored to receive recognition, which is a result of the intentional work we have been doing to demonstrate our commitment to building a strong and inclusive workplace culture.
Hired has been recognized as a Top Workplace for the second time in three years and the feedback we received from our staff will guide our future growth as an employer of choice in the Twin Cities. This affirmation was based on anonymous survey results conducted by an independent third-party firm.