How much Target's downtown workforce shrunk in the pandemic

The number of corporate Target employees assigned to downtown Minneapolis has shrunk by 1,400 over the past two years.

Driving the news: The Minneapolis Downtown Council released its annual list of largest employers in the city's central business district last week.

• Target remains the biggest employer downtown, but its headcount has declined from 8,500 to 7,100.

Why it matters: Restaurants, retailers and hotels in Minneapolis depend on Target's workers and vendors. Fewer downtown employees means fewer people spending money in the city.

Between the lines: Target announced two years ago that it would leave one of its three headquarters buildings downtown — the City Center tower. However, it never said how many of those 3,500 employees would stay there, go remote, or be reassigned to Brooklyn Park.

Yes, but: Target remains invested in downtown Minneapolis, said Downtown Council CEO Steve Cramer. Over the past two years, it has completed tens of millions of dollars worth of improvements to its other two downtown headquarters buildings, he said.

• Plus, Target spokesperson Michelle Malashock said remote workers and those assigned to Brooklyn Park can still work in the downtown offices.

The bottom line: Target still has a very flexible work policy, so it doesn't matter how many people are assigned downtown if they are working from home almost every day.

• But eventually, downtown businesses hope to see them back.