Career Force: Diversity in Manufacturing Initiative (DiMi): Increasing BIPOC Representation in Manufacturing

Manufacturing is crucial to the strength of Minnesota’s economy and its jobs offer many opportunities for family-sustaining employment. Currently, manufacturing accounts for 11.3% of all statewide employment and makes up about 14.5% of the state’s gross domestic product. In 2021, the average annual salary for workers in manufacturing was $74,626, that’s 11% higher than across all industries in Minnesota. The industry currently employs more than 309,000 people with a variety of educational backgrounds. The demographic makeup of workers in manufacturing today is one of the most monolithic, with white, non-Hispanic workers making up 83% of its workforce. An large majority, 70%, is male. In the coming years and decades, Manufacturing will need to welcome a more diverse workforce to meet future demand, given the rapid changes in Minnesota’s demographics. The next generation of workers will be a much more racially and ethnically diverse workforce than in the past, and this means that Manufacturing, like all other industries, will need to tap into groups that may not have been previously targeted for recruitment.

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