Home to the state's second-largest metro, the Northeast Region has a strong industrial sector, tied largely to the area's abundant natural resources.
Most of the manufacturing base centers on mining and forest products industries. More than half of the sector's employment is in paper and machinery manufacturing.
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11/8/2016 12:04:56 PM
Erik White
In appreciation for those who have served our military, past and present, and their families, this month’s Local Look blog post will focus on facts about veterans in the region.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, in the 7-county Arrowhead region there are 29,442 veterans, or 8.3 percent of the 355,366 veterans in the state. St. Louis County has nearly 17,000 veterans, or more than 57 percent of all the veterans in Northeast Minnesota.
Veterans with service during the Vietnam era make up 40 percent of all veterans in Northeast Minnesota, with similar numbers statewide. However, there are 5,886 veterans in Northeast Minnesota with service time during the Gulf War era, a time frame that extends back to 1990 and goes to the present day. This cohort of veterans nearly matches the number of veterans from the Korean War and World War II in the region, while this younger cohort of veterans outnumbers those from before the Vietnam era in the state (Table 1).
The recent rebound of the economy from the 2008-2009 recession has provided better employment outcomes for veterans. In the Duluth Metropolitan Statistical Area – which includes St. Louis and Carlton counties in Minnesota and Douglas County in Wisconsin – the unemployment rate for veterans in 2015 was 3.5 percent. This was nearly 8 percentage points less than the unemployment rate for veterans in 2010 (Table 2). Not only did the unemployment rate drop significantly for veterans in the region during the last five years, the unemployment rate for veterans is now lower than it is for non-veterans in the region, a condition that was not true in 2010.
While the number of unemployed veterans has shrunk considerably since 2010, there still remains significant work to be done to ensure that those who defend America’s ideals and values have meaningful economic opportunities when they return home. As the labor market tightens in the region and the state, businesses will want to attract and retain the skills, knowledge, and abilities that veterans provide to the workplace.
Because of their training and experiences, veterans provide strong leadership, ethics, competencies, technical abilities, and teamwork within diverse groups. And businesses are beginning to understand the potential that veterans can offer to their workplace.
Minnesota Power, an ALLETE Company which provides electricity services to Northeast Minnesota, has recognized how important veterans are to the company mission and is the first Duluth-based company designated as a “Yellow Ribbon Company” for its support for veterans, active-duty service members, and their families.
Overseen by the Minnesota Department of Military Affairs, the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon program supports service members, veterans, and their families by connecting them with career counseling, professional development, and employment resources. To earn a Yellow Ribbon designation, companies must build relationships with local military leaders, identify which employees have military connections, and commit to hiring supporting and retaining veterans.
If you were to ask Human Resources from Minnesota Power about the best strategy in attracting and retaining the services of veterans, awareness is the key message. From posting jobs on veteran- specific job boards and attending veteran-hiring job fairs, Minnesota Power is aware of the skills that veterans provide, and targeting their recruitment pitches.
Another aspect of awareness is directed to veterans already on staff. Minnesota Power held a military appreciation picnic last summer to honor their veterans and families and to acknowledge their commitment and dedication.
Jennifer Peterson, Policy Manager in State Government Affairs for Minnesota Power – and an Intelligence Officer with the 148th Fighter wing, Minnesota Air National Guard – shared why she nominated her manager for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Patriot Award. “When I was deployed to Afghanistan, my manager emailed me about a position in our department that had opened up and encouraged me to apply for it remotely. Even though I was away on military duty, my manager made sure I was not out of sight, out of mind.”
While care packages and honoring events are important, remembering that veterans are concerned about professional development is key for any business looking to retain its veterans. For more information about Veterans Employment Services available through DEED.
Contact Erik White at 218-302-8413 or email erik.white@state.mn.us.
