Manufacturing – MSP Sector Analysis 2017 Q4 – TC – May 2018
May 2018
Stronger career pathways are needed in manufacturing in Minneapolis-Saint Paul to maintain the sector’s recent growth. Employment in manufacturing roles dropped to 194,953 in Q4 2017, while sector unemployment dropped from 4.2% to 3% in Q4, due in large part to a tight labor market and record manufacturing vacancies in Q2 and Q3 of 2017–many of which went unfilled. With at least 63,200 manufacturing positions to be filled by 2020 (around 32,200 of these in the industry), employers should focus on development and retention of talent into high-need occupations that lead to career growth in process, technical, or engineering pathways.