Local vs Non-Local Hire

New report examines the impact of local vs. non-local hiring practices on construction of Minnesota wind farms

A new report published by North Star Policy Institute finds that hundreds of new family-supporting jobs and tens of millions of dollars in economic activity are at stake for Southern Minnesota communities based on imminent hiring decisions by wind energy companies and whether new projects are built by local or non-local workers.

Minnesota’s wind energy economy is booming. The state is eighth in the nation in net generation from wind energy. There are currently at least seven major wind farm projects seeking permits or in pre-construction in Southern Minnesota. These projects will generate an additional 1,400 megawatts in renewable power and add to Minnesota’s already impressive wind energy portfolio.

These seven projects and others in the pipeline have the capacity to create thousands of family-supporting construction jobs. Unfortunately, Southern Minnesota will miss out on many of the economic benefits of new wind farm construction if developers rely primarily on non-local construction workers. Unlike local workers, who spend their wages locally, non-local workers on wind projects typically take the wages they earn back home when they leave.

To better understand the consequences of using local versus non-local workers, the report analyzes the potential economic impact of seven major wind farm projects in Minnesota.