Navigating Changes in Southwest Minnesota.

Southwest Minnesota's economy stands at a critical juncture as it navigates an aging population, declining labor force, and changing industry trends. The Pandemic Recession accelerated Southwest's labor force decline, cutting more than 7,500 workers from 2020 to 2021, with the region still down about 6,500 workers in 2022 despite a small reversal. Among the six planning regions in the state, Southwest Minnesota has seen the largest labor force exodus from 2020 to 2022, back to just 97.1% of pre-pandemic levels, with Northwest closest to its 2020 labor force level at 99.6%. [Extracted from the article]