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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8/22/2023 9:00:00 AM
Luke Greiner, Amanda O'Connell
With fall just around the corner, summer vacation is almost done for teachers and students, which means school is ready to start. Educational Services is one of the most seasonal industries in the state, with employment dropping by several thousand jobs in the third quarter of each year (see Figure 1).
Even with the fluctuations, Educational Services is a major employer in Southwest Minnesota, providing over 16,750 jobs throughout the 23-county region in the first quarter of 2023. On an annual average basis, Educational Services accounts for about 9% of total employment in the region, or about 1 in every 11 jobs. That is more concentrated than the state as a whole, where 8% of total employment is in Educational Services.
The largest subsector is Elementary & Secondary Schools, with 12,665 jobs at 159 establishments. In Southwest Minnesota, 97% of this employment is in public schools, compared to 88% statewide and just 83% in the Twin Cities, where private schools are much more common.
The region is also home to 12 Colleges, Universities & Professional Schools and seven Junior Colleges, which combined provide over 3,500 jobs in 2023. Average annual wages were close to $60,000 at Colleges, which is about $18,000 higher than Elementary & Secondary Schools and about $8,000 above the average across the total of all industries (see Table 1).
| Table 1. Southwest Minnesota Industry Employment Statistics, Qtr. 1 2023 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAICS Code | NAICS Industry Title | Number of Establish-ments | Number of Jobs | Quarterly Payroll | Avg. Annual Wage |
| 0 | Total, All Industries | 13,003 | 169,151 | $2,207,362,933 | $52,199 |
| 61 | Educational Services | 239 | 16,761 | $191,546,170 | $45,712 |
| 6111 | Elementary & Secondary Schools | 159 | 12,665 | $135,521,611 | $42,802 |
| 6112 | Junior Colleges | 7 | 505 | $7,625,030 | $60,396 |
| 6113 | Colleges, Universities & Professional Schools | 12 | 3,002 | $44,612,397 | $59,444 |
| 6114 | Business Schools & Computer & Management | 3 | 22 | $568,064 | $103,284 |
| 6115 | Technical & Trade Schools | 6 | 125 | $1,378,498 | $44,112 |
| 6116 | Other Schools & Instruction | 38 | 412 | $1,619,068 | $15,719 |
| 6117 | Educational Support Services | 14 | 28 | $221,502 | $31,643 |
| Source: DEED Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages | |||||
The Job Vacancy Survey showed more than 800 job vacancies in Educational Services in Southwest Minnesota in 2022, which was the highest number ever reported in the more than 20-year history of the survey. This was a nearly 25% increase compared to 2019, prior to the pandemic, showing increasing demand for workers in Educational Services.
This includes more than 400 openings for Preschool, Elementary, Middle, Secondary, and Special Education Teachers, which was more than three times as many openings as in the prior year. A quick look at job listings on St. Cloud State University's famous EdPost site showed 780 active postings within a 50-mile radius of Mankato and another 163 active postings within a 50-mile radius of Marshall.
The region also had about 125 vacancies for Teaching Assistants, more commonly known as Paraprofessionals. While wage offers for the teachers listed in the previous paragraph typically started above $21 per hour, the median wage offer for Teaching Assistants was just $14.24, reflecting the lower educational requirements and responsibilities.
Finally, Southwest Minnesota also posted a new record high of 118 job vacancies for Postsecondary Teachers, which was more than double the high over the past five years. Demand was highest for Nursing Instructors & Teachers, with a median wage offer of $23.05. Interestingly, nearly two-thirds (63%) of these Postsecondary Teacher openings were part-time, suggesting a shifting need for more flexible schedules from colleges as they struggle with changing enrollment patterns.
Demand for Educational Services is on the rise in Southwest Minnesota, with hiring becoming paramount as the start of the school year approaches. There are opportunities for workers across educational levels from Elementary & Secondary School to Colleges & Universities and openings in locations throughout the region.
Contact Luke Greiner at luke.greiner@state.mn.us or Amanda O'Connell at amanda.oconnell@state.mn.us.
