Southwest Minnesota is a national leader in agricultural production, and renewable energy.
The region's thriving manufacturing sector includes food processing, machinery, printing, metal products, and computers and electronic products.
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1/7/2021 9:00:00 AM
Luke Greiner
Health Care and Social Assistance has consistently provided more than 30,000 jobs in the region over the past 10 years. Going back two decades, Health Care and Social Assistance had added more than 8,000 additional jobs in Southwest Minnesota, even surpassing Manufacturing as the largest employing industry in the region. And Health Care continued adding jobs despite two recessions, gaining jobs from 2001 to 2002 and from 2008 to 2010 while other industries were cutting jobs. And the industry gained another 1,591 jobs between 2009 and 2019, as seen on the infographic. However, Health Care suffered severe employment declines from the first quarter of 2020 to the first quarter of 2020, dropping nearly 3,000 jobs, setting this recession apart from previous recessions (see Figure 1).
While hiring activity dropped quickly during April and May, Health Care Practitioners and Health Care Support Workers were among the occupational groups with the most new job postings in both June and July, with demand picking up in the fall and early winter as a second surge in coronavirus cases spread through the region. Nursing and Residential Care Facilities and Hospitals both exhibited acute demand for workers as they ramped up to meet regional needs.
Using data from the most recent Job Vacancy Survey, DEED’s updated Occupations in Demand tool shows that more than one in every four of the occupations in highest demand in the region are health care-related, from Home Health Aides to Physicians and Surgeons. Jobseekers looking to get into the health care field will find a wide variety of opportunities with a range of typical educational requirements. Several of the jobs hiring now can be started with a high school diploma and some on the-job training, while others require vocational training, an associate’s degree, or a graduate or professional degree (see Table 1).
| SOC Code | Job Title | Current Demand Rank | Median Annual Wage | Projected Growth Rate, 2018-2028 | Projected Openings, 2018-2028 | Typical Education Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 311120 | Home Health & Personal Care Aides | 1 | $28,035 | +14.0% | +5,691 | High school diploma or equiv. |
| 291141 | Registered Nurses | 2 | $68,952 | +8.1% | +2,281 | Associate's degree |
| 311131 | Nursing Assistants | 6 | $30,933 | 0.0% | +3,367 | Vocational training |
| 292061 | Licensed Practical & Voc. Nurses | 14 | $46,278 | +4.7% | +1,102 | Vocational training |
| 291228 | Physicians, All Other | 15 | NA | +13.4% | +120 | Graduate/professional degree |
| 291071 | Physician Assistants | 29 | $117,551 | +27.3% | +158 | Graduate/professional degree |
| 292098 | Medical Records Specialists, Health Technologists & Technicians | 36 | $41,022 | +9.9% | +132 | Vocational training |
| 319096 | Veterinary Assistants & Laboratory Animal Caretakers | 37 | $27,850 | +18.9% | +331 | High school diploma or equiv. |
| 292032 | Diagnostic Medical Sonographers | 38 | $78,847 | +13.5% | +80 | Associate's degree |
| 292010 | Clinical Laboratory Technologists & Technicians | 44 | $56,251 | +3.3% | +206 | Associate's degree |
| 399011 | Childcare Workers | 47 | $24,058 | +1.7% | +3,580 | High school diploma or equiv. |
| 291127 | Speech-Language Pathologists | 48 | $65,628 | +15.3% | +148 | Graduate/professional degree |
| 211022 | Healthcare Social Workers | 50 | $53,675 | +11.8% | +283 | Graduate/professional degree |
| 292034 | Radiologic (X-ray) Technologists & Technicians | 51 | $62,640 | +8.3% | +212 | Associate's degree |
| 291123 | Physical Therapists | 55 | $84,750 | +14.0% | +192 | Graduate/professional degree |
| 291122 | Occupational Therapists | 57 | $74,664 | +12.8% | +113 | Graduate/professional degree |
| 319092 | Medical Assistants | 60 | $39,512 | +13.4% | +784 | Vocational training |
| 291131 | Veterinarians | 62 | $94,500 | +17.8% | +77 | Graduate/professional degree |
| 119111 | Medical & Health Services Managers | 65 | $84,587 | +15.0% | +475 | Bachelor's degree |
| 292040 | Emergency Medical Technicians & Paramedics | 70 | $34,822 | +5.9% | +600 | Vocational training |
| 291011 | Chiropractors | 72 | $80,647 | -3.7% | +25 | Graduate/professional degree |
| 291171 | Nurse Practitioners | 75 | $117,100 | +26.2% | +145 | Graduate/professional degree |
| 291041 | Optometrists | 81 | $117,122 | +4.2% | +9 | Graduate/professional degree |
| 291021 | Dentists, General | 82 | $194,958 | +12.4% | +76 | Graduate/professional degree |
| 211093 | Social & Human Service Assistants | 96 | $39,044 | +2.9% | +2,286 | High school diploma or equiv. |
| Source: DEED Occupations in Demand | ||||||
No other industry is as directly impacted by the pandemic as health care – but health care workers have responded with courage and compassion to serve the citizens of our state and region. DEED and CareerForce are mobilizing resources to help laid off workers move into high demand health care occupations, some of which urgently need workers now and all of which are also projected to have future demand as well.
Contact Labor Market Analysts Luke Greiner at 320-308-5378 or Mark Schultz or reach out to your local CareerForce location.
