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Contact Information:
Information Systems
Fontbonne Hall, Room 20
Mail Stop 4247
651/690-8874
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Now may be the best time to begin and complete an MIS or IS major at St. Kate’s!
For reasons why, please read the report below.
Employment and Job Outlook
Figure 1a illustrates sample job statistics in the Twin Cities Metro Area for computer systems design and related occupations (excluding management positions). Computer-related fields in the Metro Area fell 21% between 2000 and 2003. After 2003, an upward tick in the average employment of 1% (2004), and 2% (2005) is observed. A 2% average increase is reported for the 1st three months of 2006, but is not shown in the chart.
Figure 1a. Average Annual Employment in Computer Systems Design and Related Occupations, 1996-2005. Metro Area. (Source: Department of Employment and Economic Development, Current Employment Statistics Program, based on a monthly survey of 5,600 nonfarm employers).
Figure 1b illustrates job statistics nationally for computer systems design and related occupations (excluding management positions). Jobs in these fields actually increased nationally from 2000 to 2001, but clearly at a much reduced rate over prior years, while jobs declined in the Metro Area. The peak year nationally was 2001. The national experience between 2000 and 2003 was approximately an 11% net decline in jobs in these fields (compared to the 21% in the Metro Area). A 3% increase is observed in both 2004 and 2005.
Figure 1b. Average Annual Employment in Computer Systems Design and Related Occupations, 1996-2005. National. (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Part of the explanation for the greater decline in the Metro Area versus the national experience is that a number of large mergers occurred between 2000 and 2003 resulting in a shifting of IT jobs from the Twin Cities to other parts of the country (e.g., ING-Reliastar to Atlanta in 2001, St. Paul-Travelers to Hartford in 2003, and others).
The long-term outlook for computer systems design and related occupations is good. Figure 2 illustrates the projected employment in 2012 in computer systems design and related occupations, including management (which is not included in numbers in Figures 1a and 1b) with a base year of 2002.
Figure 2. Employment Outlook in Computer Systems Design and Related Occupations 2002-2012, Seven County Metro Area. (Source: Department of Employment and Economic Development, Employment Outlook Tool)
Ranking the computer-related occupations by the number of openings, the top four occupations are:
- Computer Support Specialists, 3951 openings, 30.70% increase
- Computer Systems Analysts, 3854 openings, 35.00% increase
- Computer Specialists, Other, 3661 openings, 32.10% increase
- Computer and Information Systems Managers, 2,938 openings, 33.90% increase
Note: The MIS and IS majors are designed to preprare women to become Computer Systems Analysts.
Finally, IT executives are beginning to be concerned about their “IT talent pipeline” and the sustainability of their IT talent. This bodes well for future enrollment in IT-related degree programs.
Average Salary
Figure 3 illustrates the wage data for computer systems design and related occupations in the Metro Area. The highest median wage is for Computer and Information Systems Managers, about $49 per hour. The lowest average wage is for Computer Support Specialists, about $22 per hour. The remaining occupations have an average wage in the middle, between $30 and $34 per hour. Similar wage data can be found at www.mncareers.org.
Figure 3. Median Wages in Computer Systems Design and Related Occupations, Seven County Metro Area, Fourth Quarter 2004. (Source: Department of Employment and Economic Development, Occupational Employment Statistics Program)
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN |
2005, Fourth Quarter |
Employment Data from 2004, Fourth Quarter
Median Wage |
SOC Title | Metro Area | MN | US |
| Total, All Occupations | $17.58/hr | $15.95/hr | $14.33/hr |
| Computer Programmers | $33.06/hr | $31.99/hr | $30.95/hr |
| Computer Support Specialists | $21.83/hr | $21.10/hr | $19.97/hr |
| Computer Systems Analysts | $32.72/hr | $32.08/hr | $33.17/hr |
| Database Administrators | $34.21/hr | $33.19/hr | $30.44/hr |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators | $30.76/hr | $29.28/hr | $29.05/hr |
| Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts | $32.92/hr | $32.31/hr | $30.10/hr |
| Computer Specialists, All Other | $30.74/hr | $29.44/hr | $29.14/hr |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $49.27/hr | $48.19/hr | $46.39/hr |
The employment trends and projections for IT-related careers are promising. It is reasonable to expect employment in these fields to increase at a rate of 2% to 3% per year for the next two years with the potential for higher growth in three to four years.
Now may indeed be the best time to begin and complete an MIS or IS major at St. Kate’s!
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