Unemployment in Minnesota—The Skills Gap Factor: Northfield Library Round Table

Editor's note: The Library Round Table features several guest columnists from the Northfield Public Library. This piece is from Jamie Stanley, reference librarian.

On Thursday, March 7 the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) released a new report indicating that the previous idea that a “skills gap” factor in Minnesota’s persistently high unemployment rate is more complex than previously believed.

DEED had previously reported that a skills gap exists in Minnesota and that some employers could not find enough skilled workers in various sectors of the labor market, specifically in the areas of nursing, industrial engineering and manufacturing production.

A closer look however, has revealed that the lack of skilled workers is only half of the reason for the “skills gap”.

Uncompetitive wages, undesirable locations and undesirable work shifts are also factors.  The report suggests that electronic job applications that use keywords to match applicants to jobs may not be working well.

Background

In 2012, researchers in the Labor Market Information Office within DEED, conducted in-depth interviews with more than 200 Minnesota employers about 1500 job vacancies in the state.  It was found that a lack of skills among applicants was only responsible for 15% of all openings.

This latest study found that of jobs requiring a high school diploma or less, 60% were hard to fill and that most of these jobs are in manufacturing.

Reasons as to why these jobs are difficult to fill are varied and in some cases the reasons are interrelated.  For example, it is believed that high schools have cut back on industrial technology training, partially in response to the fact that over the past 20 years, manufacturing has dropped in Minnesota by 25%.

When people look at career pathways, they are advised to look for careers in areas of projected economic growth.  Given the decline in manufacturing, this sector of the economy has had difficulty convincing people that there are jobs to be had in manufacturing.

Manufacturers also contend that manufacturing jobs have an outdated image of being dirty, dark and dangerous.  Work in manufacturing has changed they say, with today’s manufacturers looking to employ people with an aptitude for math, and who enjoy making things with their hands.  They also contend that manufacturing can provide good jobs and good wages, and that it is possible to earn a decent living in manufacturing.

The Minnesota Colleges and University System (MnSCU) has been working with manufacturing employers to address the manufacturing skills mismatch problem.

Several community colleges are developing manufacturing-related degree programs specific to particular manufacturing industries.  Other ideas that have been discussed include developing internship programs that could provide hands-on experience and work-based learning to students still in college, and providing career education, information and hands-on learning experiences from kindergarten to grade 12.

The Northfield Public Library has a great collection of resources that provide information about the occupational outlook for many careers as well as descriptions of the aptitude and educational requirements required for these jobs.

An executive summary of the report released by DEED on March 7^th, 2013 is available at http://www.positivelyminnesota.com/Data_Publications/Publications/LMI/PDFs/HiringDifficulties.pdf