Minnesota’s construction industry has thousands of open jobs, and demand is only growing. State workforce data shows 4,600 job vacancies in construction across Minnesota. At the same time, a wave of retirements is hitting the skilled trades as baby boomers reach retirement age.
Nationally, roughly 40% of the construction workforce is expected to retire within the next decade, including electricians, plumbers, carpenters and highly skilled professionals.
That creates a workforce challenge, but also an opportunity.
For young people entering the trades, the ladder is wide open. As experienced electricians retire, someone has to step into those roles, lead crews, manage projects and eventually run companies. In many cases, that upward mobility can happen faster than in many professions.
Related: Bill with bipartisan backing would put more funding into high school trades education
Yet the conversation about workforce shortages often lands on the same conclusion: Young people simply are not interested in these careers.
The real problem is not talent. It is training and long-term career investment.
Young people are not avoiding the trades. Too often, the trades have not done a good enough job showing them what the path looks like.
The electrical trade offers the kind of work people want. It is hands-on, solves real problems and supports families. Electricians in Minnesota earn a median wage of about $81,000 a year, according to federal labor data. Most of our electricians who start out of trade school achieve journey-worker status in three years with six-figure wages, 100% paid health insurance, dental and vision, 401k match, bonuses, a company-provided vehicle and more.
And unlike many jobs, this work cannot be moved overseas or replaced by AI.
In a world where many worry about automation and unstable career paths, the skilled trades offer something different: stability, craftsmanship and the chance to build something real every day. This career is changing, where we will do more with less; back busting work will be replaced by technological workplace advancements.
For years, much of the industry expected young workers to figure it out on their own. Someone would get hired, handed a tool belt and told to watch the person next to them. That approach might have worked decades ago. It does not work today.
If we want the next generation to choose the trades, we have to make the career path clearer and stronger.
That means structured training, mentorship and showing people how they can move from apprentice to journeyman to crew leader and eventually start their own business. I have applauded several of our employees that have made the leap from field leader to business owner.
Companies that make that investment are seeing results. At my company, Laketown Electric, we have a 98% employee retention rate.
For decades, people were often told that success meant earning a four-year college degree. That works well for some. But it is not the only way to build a meaningful career and financial stability.
Some of the most talented professionals I know are electricians, plumbers, welders and heavy equipment operators who built great careers without taking on little to no debt. These jobs require intelligence, discipline and problem-solving. They are skilled careers that keep our communities running.
Minnesota policymakers are discussing ways to strengthen the skilled trades pipeline through apprenticeship programs, career and technical education and workforce development initiatives. Those conversations are important but still need more support.
But the reality is that businesses have to lead this effort and not rely upon government hand holding.
Government can help build the pipeline. Companies have to build the careers.
That means investing in training and development programs, creating workplaces where people feel respected and supported, and treating the men and women in the field like the skilled professionals they are.
Related: More Minnesota schools are training mechanics on electric vehicles
My father, who founded our company, used to say the next job comes from the one you just finished.
The same principle applies to the future of the trades.
If we want young people to choose these careers, we have to give them something worth choosing. Real training. Real opportunity. A workplace where they are respected as professionals and see a future for themselves.
Do that, and the workforce pipeline will strengthen.
Because the truth is simple. The talent is already out there. It is up to us to build the path.
Matt Bergmann is CEO of Laketown Electric Corporation, based in Waconia and Mankato.
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