Most probably understand, but to those who don’t, let’s be perfectly clear. Albert Lea and the surrounding area have jobs.

In fact, earlier this month there were 211 jobs open within 10 miles of Albert Lea and 487 within 25 miles, according to minnesotaworks.net. Of those 487 jobs, 445 were full-time positions, and 42 were part-time. Those positions include everything from truck drivers and production workers to registered nurses, office clerks and janitors. The list goes on and on.

According to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Albert Lea’s unemployment rate was 4.1 percent in December. Of the 9,190 people in the labor force, 8,816 were employed.

Only 374 people were unemployed. That means of the 487 jobs available in and around Albert Lea, area businesses are still 113 people short of filling all of these jobs from our own community if each person had only one job. Instead of not having enough jobs for our area workers, in reality there are not enough workers to fill the jobs.

We continually see comments on Facebook and other social media outlets of people complaining about the lack of jobs in the area. We hope these people will open their eyes to these numbers.

If you’re having a hard time finding a job, look at what qualities you have to bring to a company. Have you burned bridges anywhere in the community? Should you consider developing new skills to make yourself more marketable? Now is the time to go after these skills. Some businesses are even willing to train you themselves.

Sometimes the jobs available may not be your dream jobs, but they can be a start. The way to get a good job is to show that you are reliable, willing to learn and have a good work history.

If you’re looking for jobs, check out the Tribune’s classified section or consider stopping down at the Minnesota WorkForce Center on the Albert Lea Riverland Community College campus.

The employees there are willing and eager to help job seekers.