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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9/18/2024 2:50:36 PM
Luke Greiner, Amanda O'Connell
The future of Manufacturing looks bright in Southwest Minnesota. Newly released Employment Outlook Projections from DEED show that manufacturers in the region are expected to add 1,345 jobs through 2032, growing faster than the regional economy overall. At that rate, Manufacturing is projected to grow 4.2% in Southwest, compared to 2.8% for the total of all industries.
Southwest is one of just two other regions (Central and Northwest) that is projected to see faster Manufacturing growth than overall growth; but has easily the highest percent of total growth from Manufacturing, providing nearly one quarter of projected job gains in the region over the next decade. That is nearly triple the reliance on Manufacturing as a source of job growth expected statewide (Figure 1 and Table 1).
| Table 1. Southwest Minnesota Industry Projections, 2022-2032 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industry | Estimated Employment 2022 | Projected Employment 2032 | Percent Change 2022-2032 | Numeric Change 2022-2032 |
| Total, All Industries | 202,214 | 207,878 | +2.8% | +5,664 |
| Manufacturing | 32,192 | 33,537 | +4.2% | +1,345 |
| Source: DEED Employment Outlook | ||||
With almost 625 Manufacturing firms providing over 31,250 jobs in 2023, Manufacturing currently accounts for about one in every six jobs in Southwest Minnesota, making it the largest employing industry in the 23-county region, ahead of Health Care & Social Assistance, Retail Trade, Educational Services and Accommodation & Food Services. Not only that, Manufacturing also has average annual wages of almost $63,500, which is $11,000 higher than the average across all industries in the region. In fact, Southwest Minnesota manufacturers paid almost $2 billion in wages to workers in 2023!
Students and jobseekers in search of a rewarding, high-paying career will find tons of opportunities in Manufacturing. There were just under 1,000 job openings in Manufacturing posted in 2023 in the 23 counties of Southwest Minnesota, with a median wage offer of almost $22.00 per hour, which was more than $2.00 per hour more than the median offer across all vacancies in the region.
The largest current demand in the region was for Production occupations like Welders, Cutters, Solderers & Brazers; Packaging & Filling Machine Operators; Cutting, Punching & Press Machine Setters; Printing Workers & Printing Press Operators; Food Batchmakers; and Inspectors, Testers, Sorters & Samplers. For those with experience, there was also high demand for First-Line Supervisors of Production & Operating Workers, with a median wage offer of $24.27 per hour. Most of these jobs did not have formal education requirements and could be started with a high school diploma or equivalent and some level of on-the-job training.
There was also steady demand for Industrial Engineers in the Southwest region, which had higher educational requirements but also offered median wages above $39 per hour; as well as General Maintenance & Repair Workers, Industrial Machinery Mechanics and Machinery Maintenance Workers, all of which had starting wages from $18 to $25 per hour. Manufacturing sales people were also in demand, with nearly 15 openings with wage offers above $26 per hour.
If job growth continues at the pace projected in the future, jobseekers will find plenty of opportunities in a wide variety of occupations at Southwest Minnesota manufacturers!
October is Manufacturing Month in Minnesota. You can find a listing of career exploration and hiring events taking place throughout the month around the state.
Contact Luke Greiner at luke.greiner@state.mn.us or Amanda O'Connell at amanda.oconnell@state.mn.us.
