Industry Spotlight
October is Manufacturing Month
The manufacturing industry is a critically important part of Minnesota’s diverse economy, contributing $58.7 billion to Minnesota’s economy in 2022 - and making a wide range of products to improve the lives of people around the world - from medical devices to food to recreational vehicles and everything in between. Manufacturing workers took home $24.9 billion in wages from Minnesota manufacturing jobs last year, making an average annual wage of $76,950, which is 10% higher than the state’s overall average private sector wage. There is a big demand for people to work in manufacturing positions in Minnesota, now and into the future - making it a strong career path choice. In fact, Minnesota is expected to see more than 75,000 job openings for manufacturing production positions alone through 2030.
- View the Governor's proclamation of October as Manufacturing Month - COMING SOON
- Check out the many manufacturing career exploration opportunities, job fairs and other events taking place around Minnesota in October.
- Download and share these resources:
- Contact a CareerForce location near you for assistance exploring manufacturing careers and connecting with employers.
- Read up-to-date manufacturing labor market conditions in regions across Minnesota
- View Manufacturing Month blogs and videos
Featured Careers in Manufacturing
In Demand Careers
In 2022, the following 10 occupations were in top demand in Manufacturing in Minnesota. Select an occupation to learn more including watch a short video, get more information on wages, daily work activities, education requirements, find jobs, and more.
- Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators
- First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand
- Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers
- Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders
- Machinists
- Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers
- Electrical, electronic, and electromechanical assemblers
- Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, exc. technical and scientific products
- Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks
Industry Trends
- In 2022, there were over 8,550 establishments providing 323,365 jobs in the Manufacturing industry, making it the second largest employing industry in the state. That accounted for about 11% of total employment in the state, or 1 in every 9 jobs.
- With a payroll of nearly $25 billion dollars, average annual wages were just under $77,000 in 2022, 10% higher than across all industries in Minnesota.
- The largest subsector was Food Manufacturing, with 47,300 jobs; followed by Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing with 44,800 jobs and Computer & Electronic Product Manufacturing with 43,250 jobs.
- Minnesota added more than 10,000 manufacturing jobs over the year from 2021 to 2022.
- Manufacturing firms reported just under 19,000 job vacancies in 2022, as employers struggled to find workers to fill open jobs.
- Minnesota is expected to see more than 75,000 job openings for manufacturing production positions alone through 2030.
Manufacturing Training Programs
Select a Region
Select a Region to get Manufacturing News for a specific region of Minnesota.
Additional Resources
Resources for people considering a career in manufacturing
- Student flyer: 5 Great Reasons to Pick a Career in Manufacturing
- Adult flyer: 5 Great Reasons to Consider Manufacturing
- Explore careers
- Job search
- Contact your local CareerForce location for assistance exploring manufacturing careers and connecting with employers
- Manufacturing Month blogs
Resources for manufacturing employers
- How we help manufacturing employers
- Contact your regional Workforce Strategy Consultant
- Meet your regional team
- Contact your local CareerForce location for assistance connecting with potential employees
- Learn about the Diversity in Manufacturing Initiative (DiMi)
- Manufacturing Month blogs
- 2023 Regional Labor Market Information blogs focused on Manufacturing
- 2023 Manufacturing Month events
Resources for community leaders and workforce development professionals
Check out our other industries: All Industries, Business Services, Construction, Health Care, Information Technology, Natural Resources, Public Sector, Services Sector
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