Manufacturing Month
The manufacturing industry is a critically important part of Minnesota’s diverse economy, contributing $57.2 billion (12%) to the state’s economy in 2023 - and making a wide range of products to improve the lives of people around the world - from medical devices to food to recreational vehicles and everything in between. Manufacturing workers took home $25.7 billion in wages from Minnesota manufacturing jobs last year, making an average annual wage of just under $79,000, which is 10% higher than the state’s overall average private sector wage. There is a big demand for people to work in manufacturing positions in Minnesota, now and into the future - making it a strong career path choice. October is Manufacturing Month in Minnesota. You can find a listing of career exploration and hiring events taking place throughout the month around the state. For more local information, please reach out to your Regional Analyst!
Home to almost 1,200 Manufacturing firms who provide over 41,700 jobs, Central Minnesota is a Manufacturing powerhouse. Manufacturing continues to grow and now accounts for over 15% of all employment in the region – or more than one in every seven jobs – plus provides average annual wages of almost $66,000, which is $11,000 higher than the average across all industries in the region. In fact, Central Minnesota manufacturers paid more than $2.75 billion to workers in wages in 2023!
Data from the Quarterly Workforce Indicators (QWI) program shows the share of older workers in Manufacturing increasing significantly over the past two decades in the Twin Cities. For example, between 2000 and 2023, the share of workers 55 years of age and older in Manufacturing increased from 11.6% to 27.2% in the Metro Area. The share of workers 65 years of age and older in Manufacturing increased from 1.5% to 5.7% during this period.
"Manufacturing employment is growing in Northeast Minnesota." This is a statement that has not been uttered often over the last couple decades. However, after a decade of significant decline, followed by a decade of stagnation, employment has now grown three consecutive years, building upon the modest growth that was perforated by the Pandemic Recession. As a result, Manufacturing employment is the highest it has been since before the Great Recession.
2023 marks the first time in the last three recession recoveries that Manufacturing employment has topped its pre-recession level. This is true both for Minnesota statewide and the Northwest region. Total employment in Minnesota and the Northwest exceeded 2019 levels in 2023. While Minnesota Manufacturing employment also exceeded 2019 levels in 2023, Northwest Minnesota manufacturing employment surpassed it's 2019 level one year earlier in 2022.
Manufacturing is Southeast Minnesota's second largest employing industry, providing 36,380 jobs in 2023. At 15%, Southeast has the third highest concentration of Manufacturing employment of the six regions in the state, compared to just over 11% Manufacturing employment for the state as a whole. In sum, Southeast Minnesota manufacturers provided about $2.63 billion payroll in 2023, making it the second largest industry in terms of payroll, behind Health Care & Social Assistance. Average annual wages in Manufacturing were $72,228, which was $8,850 higher than the total across all industries.
The future of Manufacturing looks bright in Southwest Minnesota. Newly released Employment Outlook Projections from DEED show that manufacturers in the region are expected to add 1,345 jobs through 2032, growing faster than the regional economy overall. At that rate, Manufacturing is projected to grow 4.2% in Southwest, compared to 2.8% for the total of all industries.
Fall LMI Training Sessions
DEED's Regional Analysts have scheduled a set of Labor Market Information training sessions for the fall of 2024. These hands-on training sessions - whether virtual or in-person - will help attendees learn where to find and how to use DEED’s labor market information data tools. Attendees will navigate data tools on our website (mn.gov/deed/data/) and learn how to use them to understand the local economy and provide guidance to jobseekers and others.
Please note that there are a variety of options available for different audiences including DEED and partner staff; workforce development, human resource, and economic development professionals; and other partners in the system. Check the title and location when registering for the session that works best for you.
Depending on the session, topics covered may include:
- Occupations in Demand and Current Job Vacancy Results
- Occupational and Industry Employment Trends and Projections
- Cost of Living and Wage and Salary Data
- Labor Force, Employment, and Unemployment Statistics
- Demographic and Social Characteristics
Please reach out to your regional analyst if you or your staff would be interested in having a customized LMI training session. We would be happy to accommodate your training requests, either on LMI Data Tools or local economic conditions!
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