Global Talent Market

Our talented workforce is ready to work and wants to make a difference

Our talented and creative workforce is unparalleled

When you have a business in Minnesota, you have access to the highest caliber of talent, a workforce that is ready to discover new solutions to the world's most complex problems. After all, this is where:

• An idea grew into the pacemaker and ultimately Medtronic, which has saved millions of lives across the globe.
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• 3M created the post it note. Today, we are never more than 10 feet away from 3M's science and innovations.
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• Two brothers believed in exceptional health care. Today, the Mayo Clinic is solving some of the world's biggest health challenges.

We have more than 100 post-secondary institutions, the highest ACT state score where at least 60% of students were tested, and are the 4th most educated state because we understand that knowledge powers the world.

• 2nd in Percentage of Population with High School Degrees Among Large Metropolitan Areas (Minneapolis-St. Paul)
• 3rd in Labor Force Participation Rate for Women
• 7th Best State for Community Colleges

Our talent will propel your business to the next level.

Workforce attraction programs across Minnesota

When it comes to attracting talent to Minnesota, there’s a common adage: while it can be hard to convince people to come, it’s even harder to get them to leave. Minnesota’s quality of life is truly “unmatched.” That’s the reason people move to Minnesota for a job, thinking they’ll stay for a few years, and end up staying for decades.

Across the state, communities have long been working to raise the profile of Minnesota’s quality of life to retain and attract talent. The state is a leader in rural resident recruitment, thanks in part to the University of Minnesota Extension's pioneering rural movers’ research. And, in many communities across the state, employers can connect with local talent attraction initiatives, such as Hello Range!, located in the Iron Range of north-central Minnesota, or Forward Worthington, located in the prairielands of southwest Minnesota.

In March 2024, Explore Minnesota, the state’s promotional office, launched Minnesota’s first statewide workforce attraction and livability marketing campaign with the goal of increasing awareness for Minnesota as a top state to live and work. The campaign features real Minnesotans sharing why they moved to the state, as well as additional content about quality of life in Minnesota, such as webpages and long-form videos. Contact Explore Minnesota for questions or additional recruitment marketing resources.

We invest in our workforce so they can propel your business to the next level

• Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Program partners with businesses and schools to train or retrain workers, expand opportunities, and keep high-quality jobs in the state. Grants of up to $400,000 are awarded to educational institutions that partner with businesses to develop new-job training or retraining for existing employees.
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• Child care grants – we have statewide child care grants aimed to help reduce the child care shortage and support workers finding affordable child care options where they live.
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• Broadband – our leading broadband program helps to bring high-speed broadband to underserved and unserved areas across Minnesota, aiming to make it possible to connect to your employees no matter where they live.
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• Our workforce strategy consultants have a business development expert in every region of the state that works in partnership with our state, regional and local-level stakeholders to help your recruitment and workforce training and development needs to ensure you get the talent that you need for your operation.

Find out more about our workforce.

Learn about all of Minnesota's Economic Development Programs and Services in our Resource Guide.