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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4/13/2022 9:00:00 AM
Carson Gorecki
As the economy and work trend more toward digital, Information Technology (IT) jobs have likewise increased in demand. In Northeast Minnesota, Computer and Mathematical occupations, which comprise the core of the IT workforce, account for an estimated 1,810 jobs1. And while that represents less than 2% of total regional employment, Computer & Mathematical occupations are in high demand across a range of industries and are expected to see above average growth over the next decade.
Computer & Mathematical occupations have the 4th highest projected growth rate after only Personal Care & Service, Community & Social Service, and Health Care Support occupations. But what separates Computer & Mathematical occupations from those with higher projected growth rates are much higher wages as well as higher typical educational requirements. The median annual wage for IT occupations was just under $72,500 – or about $30,000 more than the median across all occupations. And of the 17 most common Computer & Math occupations, all but three typically require at least a bachelor's degree (see Table 1).
| Table 1. Typical Education Requirements for Computer & Mathematical Occupations in Minnesota, 2020-2021 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Occupation Title | Typical Education Required for Entry in Minnesota | 2021 Median Annual Wage in Northeast Minnesota1 |
| Computer and Mathematical Occupations | Bachelor's Degree | $72,396 |
| Computer Systems Analysts | Bachelor's Degree | $77,578 |
| Information Security Analysts | Bachelor's Degree | $85,599 |
| Computer and Information Research Scientists | Graduate Degree | $135,0051 |
| Computer Network Support Specialists | Associate Degree | $63,126 |
| Computer User Support Specialists | Vocational Training | $54,419 |
| Computer Network Architects | Bachelor's Degree | $98,571 |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators | Bachelor's Degree | $75,629 |
| Database Administrators and Architects | Bachelor's Degree | $99,901 |
| Computer Programmers | Bachelor's Degree | $81,613 |
| Software Developers & Software Quality Assurance Analysts & Testers | Bachelor's Degree | $82,478 |
| Web Developers and Digital Interface Designers | Associate Degree | $64,786 |
| Computer Occupations, All Other | Bachelor's Degree | $70,582 |
| Actuaries | Bachelor's Degree | $105,2941 |
| Mathematicians | Graduate Degree | N/A |
| Operations Research Analysts | Bachelor's Degree | $49,342 |
| Statisticians | Graduate Degree | $79,081 |
| Data Scientists and Mathematical Science Occupations, All Other | Bachelor's Degree | $99,1421 |
| 1 Minnesota medians. Source: DEED 2020 Educational Requirements for Occupations | ||
Given that a higher portion of Computer & Mathematical jobs require some sort of postsecondary education or training, it is important that our local training pipeline produce and provide workers with the necessary skills to match the high and increasing demand for talent. Several Computer & Information Sciences (CIS) and Mathematics programs are offered by schools in Northeast Minnesota. According to DEED's Graduate Employment Outcomes (GEO) tool, these programs produced over 215 graduates in 2018 that are now in the labor force. Most of these graduates were from Lake Superior College, the College of St. Scholastica, or the University of Minnesota-Duluth. However, there are also IT Networking and Security and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) programs offered by several campuses in the merging Minnesota North College system.
Data show that graduates of CIS or Math programs in Northeast Minnesota were more likely to be working full-time in the 2nd year after graduating and more likely to earn higher wages than graduates of other programs (see Table 2). This is perhaps unsurprising given the high demand for these workers. What may be more surprising – and maybe a little dismaying to local IT employers – is that the majority of graduates from regional CIS or math programs do not end up staying in Northeast Minnesota. About three out of every five computer or math grads ends up working in the Twin Cities Metro, and only slightly more than a quarter stayed to work in Northeast Minnesota2. Graduates of all other programs3 were on average about ten percent more likely to stay and work in Northeast Minnesota (37.3%).
| Table 2. Graduate Employment Outcomes for Computer and Mathematical Instructional Programs in Northeast Minnesota, 2018 Graduation Year | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instructional Program | 2018 Graduates | Percent working in Northeast Minnesota in 2nd year | Full-time,
year-round median wage in 2nd year |
Percent working
full-time, year-round in 2nd year |
| All Instructional Programsa | 4,727 | 37% | $55,716 | 43.7% |
| Sum of NE Computer & Information Sciences and Math Programs | 217 | 28% | $65,396 | 66.2% |
| Computer and information sciences and support services | 156 | 29% | $68,389 | 68.7% |
| Mathematics and statistics | 61 | 24% | $56,417 | 57.0% |
| aCollege of St. Scholastica, University of MN-Duluth, and Lake Superior College.
Source: DEED Graduate Employment Outcomes |
||||
According to DEED's Job Vacancy Survey, there were over 200 Computer & Mathematical occupation openings in the 2nd quarter of 2021, an all-time high. Those vacancies may have been harder to fill if past trends of regional graduate retention hold true. By bolstering existing relationships and fostering new ones between local IT employers and instructional programs, employers may be able to capture more locally produced talent. If students want to stay in Northeast Minnesota, there are ample IT opportunities, many of which they simply may not be aware of.
1DEED Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2Based on the average of graduates from 2015-2018.
3Lake Superior College, College of St. Scholastica, and University of Minnesota-Duluth. Graduates of community and technical colleges were more likely to stay and work in NE MN, but IT program outcomes data were not available for those institutions.
Contact Northeast Minnesota Labor Market Analyst Carson Gorecki at 218-302-8413.
