A metal fabricating company in Stacy last summer posted a job on MinnesotaWorks, the state-run website, for a laser operator. Despite a salary of $40,000 and a full array of benefits, there were no takers.
“We did not have one person apply for our job for two months,” said Lori Tapani, co-president of Wyoming Machine. The company eventually turned to a staffing company to help fill that job and others.
Finding qualified workers has become a bigger worry for Minnesota manufacturers, despite some 170,000 Minnesotans without jobs. An annual poll of manufacturing execs from across the state released today shows that 31 percent listed finding skilled workers as a major concern, more than double last year’s 14 percent.
“There’s a perception sometimes that working in a manufacturing plant isn’t a good place to be,” said Tapani, whose 55-employee shop about 35 miles north of St. Paul makes metal parts used in a diverse array of products, from computers to tractors to food-packaging equipment.
via Survey: More Minnesota factories having trouble finding skilled workers – TwinCities.com.
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