April is Technology Workforce Month

Raising awareness about and breaking down barriers to tech careers

The Governor has proclaimed April 2021 as Technology Workforce Month in Minnesota. It’s an opportunity to draw attention to the critical importance of the state's technology workforce and its key role in Minnesota’s economy. While the wide-ranging significance of their roles have been highlighted during the pandemic, Information Technology workers have been in demand in the marketplace for a long time – and will continue to be into the future.

The state of Minnesota is home to about 110,000 people working in Information Technology occupations. That’s about 3.8% of total employment in Minnesota, while the national average for such occupations is about 3.4%. That means that Information Technology work is more concentrated in Minnesota than the nation as a whole.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Employment Outlook data points to a continued trend toward well-above-average growth in demand for Information Technology workers in Minnesota. DEED projects employment in computer occupations to grow 10.5% between 2018 and 2028, while the average growth of all occupations in Minnesota is 4.7%. 

Because of high demand for Information Technology workers, wages for workers in these occupations are higher than for most occupations in Minnesota. In fact, the median hourly wage for Information Technology occupations was $42.71 an hour in 2020 – that's over $20 an hour higher than the median for all occupations in the state. 

Resources for Career Seekers

Resources for Employers and Technology Organizations