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4/13/2022 9:00:00 AM
Cameron Macht
Even before the pandemic recession, many Information Technology (IT) jobs were in high demand and were expected to be among the fastest growing into the future. But the rise in telework brought on by COVID-19 has made IT workers even more important, with rising numbers of job vacancies and above average projected growth rates, not to mention high wages.
Sometimes confused for an industry, the Information Technology (IT) field is actually better classified as a set of occupations, specifically Computer & Mathematical occupations. While focused more heavily in certain sectors, IT employment is actually spread across every industry, since every industry utilizes some amount of IT. There were about 2,250 IT workers in Northwest Minnesota in 2020, with most having median wages that were well above the total of all occupations (see Table 1).
| Table 1. Northwest Minnesota Information Technology Employment & Wages, 2020 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOC Code | Occupational Title | Estimated Regional Employment | Median Hourly Wage | Estimated Statewide Employment | Median Hourly Wage |
| 000000 | Total, All Occupations | 207,970 | $19.24 | 2,708,760 | $23.00 |
| 113021 | Computer & Information Systems Managers | 180 | $54.47 | 10,750 | $71.33 |
| 150000 | Computer & Mathematical Occupations | 2,050 | $33.28 | 98,240 | $44.89 |
| 151211 | Computer Systems Analysts | 320 | $35.71 | 18,390 | $47.26 |
| 151212 | Information Security Analysts | 20 | $40.38 | 2,450 | $49.22 |
| 151231 | Computer Network Support Specialists | 240 | $29.63 | 5,180 | $32.36 |
| 151232 | Computer User Support Specialists | 470 | $23.92 | 12,200 | $27.34 |
| 151241 | Computer Network Architects | 20 | $48.41 | 2,620 | $59.57 |
| 151244 | Network & Computer Systems Administrators | 220 | $35.78 | 6,300 | $42.56 |
| 151245 | Database Administrators & Architects | 90 | $45.72 | 2,830 | $52.06 |
| 151251 | Computer Programmers | 90 | $42.37 | 3,330 | $44.36 |
| 151256 | Software Developers & Software Analysts | 380 | $42.38 | 32,430 | $51.99 |
| 151257 | Web Developers & Digital Interface Designers | 100 | $29.88 | 2,720 | $37.85 |
| 151299 | Computer Occupations, All Other | 90 | $36.22 | 4,330 | $43.18 |
| 152041 | Statisticians | 10 | $31.88 | 870 | $40.83 |
| Source: DEED Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics | |||||
As employers in the region offered more employees the ability to telework during the pandemic, demand for IT workers skyrocketed. In the second quarter of 2020, there were 160 job vacancies for Computer occupations in Northwest Minnesota, which was five times more than in the second quarter of 2019, prior to the pandemic. In the second quarter of 2021, the region still had nearly 150 openings for IT workers (see Figure 1).
In addition to short-term demand, according to DEED's Employment Outlook, Computer occupations were expected to grow more than twice as fast as the total of all occupations over the next decade. In comparison to a 3.2% projected growth rate overall, the number of IT workers was expected to expand by 8.7%, which may increase in the aftermath of the pandemic recession. As more employers rely on remote work, job openings for IT workers will likely continue to increase.
Contact Cameron Macht at 320-441-6596.
