The right skills to move MKE's economy forward

Talent is a key driver of the Milwaukee region’s economic growth. To better understand talent in our market, MMAC invested in a proprietary labor market data tool from Lightcast, the global leader in labor market analytics.

On the next few pages we will look at 3 of our top-posted jobs: registered nurses, software developers and industrial engineers. These examples show what MMAC’s investment in Lightcast can do in terms of providing market-specific, actionable intelligence on high-demand jobs.

With better insights, we are well-positioned to refine our regional talent attraction and retention strategy, foster more effective industry alignment with higher education and help employers better understand the landscape. Other new capabilities include:

• Understand the immediate and future workforce needs of regional employers,

• Gauge how industry trends are impacting skills needs

• Stay focused during times of market disruptions

• Align regional education and workforce development efforts

Real-time job postings data available through Lightcast provides a snapshot of current labor market demand and the difficulty employers have filling key positions.

Consider the top 10 jobs posted within the M7 region between May and October 2022 (see right.) Notable in this list are the number of jobs that generally don’t require a high school diploma, postsecondary education, or training. Frontline roles like these were hard to fill before the pandemic - and now have employers asking “where did all the workers go?”

Companies successfully filling these jobs are tapping into nontraditional talent pools, speeding up their hiring process, offering signing bonuses and “stay” bonuses, as well as flexibility and advancement opportunities previously reserved for professional employees.

Recruiting becomes more specialized for jobs that require at least a postsecondary credential or degree, and it’s important to understand how key talent pipelines are cultivated - in higher education, through on-the-job training or professional development programs.

For any role listed to the right, Lightcast can help us understand:

• The current supply of talent in the region

• Projected future increase/decrease in demand for the role

• Top employers hiring for the role & the estimated number of hires per month

• How local compensation measures against the national average

• Specific skills that employers are requesting in job postings for the role

• The Automation Index, or how susceptible the role is to the effects of automation

• The percentage of current workers approaching retirement age

• Whether racial or gender equity gaps exist

• Amount of workers in roles that could be upskilled to meet demand

• State of the region’s education pipeline producing newly-skilled entrants to the job market

• Markets outside Milwaukee where alumni with the right skills live

• Markets outside where candidates would experience a relative wage gain by relocating to Milwaukee for a similar role

Registered Nurses

The Milwaukee region’s supply of Registered Nurses (24,394) is currently higher than the national average. And while demand grew 11% between 2016 and 2021, the pace of growth is expected to slow to 2% in the next four years. Top employers are the region’s large hospital systems, medical clinics, and long-term care facilities. Over the past year, there have been an average of 504 successful hires each month.

With 6,300 Registered Nurses 55 or older, retirement risk is equal to the national average. 92% of Registered Nurses are female, and 81% are white, pointing to untapped potential within the community.

Additionally, the region has a large pool of Nursing Assistants (11,361), Medical Assistants (4,998) and Licensed Practical Nurses (2,146) who could be upskilled and licensed as RNs over time to fill future openings.

In the 2020-21 academic year, 1,958 nursing degrees were conferred in the M7 region. Of those 1,958 degrees:

• 481 were Associate’s

• 1,200 were Bachelor’s

• 265 were Master’s

• 12 were Doctor’s

Where needs are immediate and the candidate supply is low, employers may have to look outside the Milwaukee market to attract key talent. With an emphasis on markets where there are a number of local alumni and where candidates would experience a relative wage gain by relocating to Milwaukee – Lightcast identifies the following high-target areas and can generate a list of potential candidates including direct contact information:

• Cook County, IL

• New York County, NY

• Maricopa County, AZ

• Dane County, WI

• Hennepin County, MN

• DuPage County, IL

• Salt Lake County, UT

Software Developers

The Milwaukee region’s supply of Software Developers (8,497) is lower than the national average and while demand grew 31% between 2016 and 2021, the pace of growth is expected to slow to 6% in the next four years. Over the past year, there have been an average of 296 successful hires each month.

There are multiple degrees and certifications that qualify an individual to work as a Software Developer. Lightcast takes a more expansive look at education and training programs that produce eligible talent. In the 2020-21 academic year, 1,088 degrees and certificates related to software development were conferred in the M7 region. Of those 1,088:

• 84 were certificates

• 100 were Associate’s

• 748 were Bachelor’s

• 148 were Master’s

• 8 were Doctor’s

Lightcast can help us break down the requirements of a job that isn’t tied as directly to a degree program, like nursing. For this type of role, the right skills are developed through a combination of education, experience and on-the-job learning. Outside of a degree program, software development skills can be acquired in stackable certificate programs, bootcamps and continuing education programs.

Using Lightcast’s intelligence, we can help guide learners to credentials that really matter to employers and make sure their investments pay off.

Where needs are immediate and candidate supply is low, employers may have to look outside the Milwaukee market to attract software developers. With an emphasis on markets where there are a number of local alumni and where candidates would experience a relative wage gain by relocating to Milwaukee – Lightcast identifies the following high-target areas and can generate a list of potential candidates including direct contact information:

• Cook County, IL

• Dane County, WI

• New York County, NY

• Los Angeles County, CA

• Hennepin County, MN

• King County, WA

• San Francisco County, CA

Industrial Engineers

Another role, that’s key to the Milwaukee region’s advanced manufacturing sector is Industrial Engineers. The Milwaukee region has a deep supply of Industrial Engineers (4,428) - significantly higher than the national average. Demand grew 40% between 2016 and 2021, and is expected to grow 2% more by 2026. Over the past year, there have been an average of 106 successful hires each month.

The role has a low Automation Index (92.0), reflecting the importance of human skills that are difficult to automate. Specific skills in high demand include Manufacturing Processes, Continuous Improvement Process, Lean Manufacturing, New Product Development, Auditing, Tooling, Automation, Root Cause Analysis, Process Improvement, Quality Management Systems, Six Sigma Methodology, and ISO 9000 Series.

With 1,300 Industrial Engineers 55 or older, retirement risk is about equal to the national average. 79% of Industrial Engineers are male, and 82% are white, pointing to untapped potential within the community.

In the 2020-21 academic year, 53 Industrial Engineering degrees were conferred in the M7 region. Looking downstream in the talent pipeline, 122 technical certificates were awarded related to Industrial Engineering.

Where needs are immediate and the candidate supply is low, employers may have to look outside the Milwaukee market to attract key talent. With an emphasis on markets where there are a number of local alumni and where candidates would experience a relative wage gain by relocating to Milwaukee – Lightcast identifies the following high-target areas and can generate a list of potential candidates including direct contact information:

Cook County, IL · Dane County, WI · Los Angeles County, CA · New York County, NY · Hennepin County, MN

Maricopa County, AZ · Suffolk County, MA · Santa Clara County, CA · Orange County, CA