Help Wanted I February 2010 Enterprise Minnesota Magazine

Enterprise Minnesota Magazine - February 2010

HELPING MANUFACTURERS GROW PROFITABLY

Help Wanted

As post-recession business ramps up for manufacturers around the state, demand for highly skilled workers follows suit.

The last year has been tough on Minnesota manufacturers. The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) reports that between November 2008 and November 2009, the manufacturing sector lost 36,500 jobs--far more than any other industry in the state. But as the market improves, experts are predicting not a shortage of jobs, but a shortage of qualified workers.

DEED manufacturing liaison Debra Bultnick says technological advancements are part of the challenge. "The shortage that we have right now is that automation has changed the way manufacturing is done," she says. "The processes that used to be used to make a widget, for example, were labor intensive, but they required lower skills for people to handle. Now, machines are so much more sophisticated that it requires a much higher skilled technician to operate that new machinery."

Even veteran manufacturers may find themselves in need of additional skills to remain in or reenter the manufacturing industry.

Anticipated retirements over the next few years will add to the shortage, though the extent of those retirements remains to be seen. "Between 2006 and 2016, we see thousands of jobs opening up in manufacturing especially in skilled areas--due to retirement," says Kyle Uphoff, DEED's regional analysis and outreach manager. "Of course the big question is, given the current recession that has wiped out so much wealth, are people going to be retiring in the droves that we expected earlier? But in general ... that will deliver some magnitude of shortage."

If your company is feeling the shortage now, Bultnick suggests hiring as soon as possible--before the full extent of the talent shortage is realized. "A lot of very skilled people are back in the job market right now because of companies that weren't able to keep even their skilled people," she says. "[Companies] able to hire now have a golden opportunity to pick up somebody who wouldn't have been available two years ago and certainly won't be available two years from now." This is especially true for northern areas of Minnesota, which have traditionally experienced greater skill shortages due to lower populations.

In addition, manufacturers can benefit from investing in training for incumbent workers and by developing relationships with job counselors at one of Minnesota's 49 local WorkForce Centers. "Ask your WorkForce Center how you can make sure that job counselors know what kind of skilled person you're looking for," Bultnick says.