The manufacturing sector added jobs in the 1990s, but shed all those gains and more in the 2000s.
Manufacturing % share of
jobs*labor force
Feb. 1990343,50016.1
Feb. 1995371,50015.7
Feb. 2000395,90014.8
Feb. 2005346,70012.9
Feb. 2010288,70011.0
Feb. 2011296,40011.2
* Seasonally adjusted
Source: Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development
Eric Wieffering, deputy managing editor for enterprise and investigations, works with reporters and editors across the newsroom on short- and longer-term enterprise stories.