Thanks to the eight colleges and universities located near our city, Manchester produces thousands of newly-trained graduates ready to work in the fields of engineering, business, international relations, technical fields, business communications, and product management, among hundreds of others. The Manchester Young Professionals Network boasts over 2,000 members between the ages of 20 and 40.
As the fastest growing population in New England, New Hampshire offers 1.3 million potential employees, with about 63 percent of them living within 30 miles of Manchester.
Manchester workforce highlights include:
- In 2015, the state's first Job Corps center opened in Manchester, providing no-cost education and vocational training program for young people ages 16-24. Students receive training in workforce development, and ultimately receive assistance finding a job. The project was approved by the U.S. Department of Labor and Manchester's leadership.
- About 62 percent of New Hampshire's population lies within 30 miles or 35 minutes commuting time of Manchester, and the labor force of the Boston area is less than an hour's drive away.
- The Manchester Metro-NECTA (New England City and Town Areas) labor force numbers 119,940 . The unemployment rate of this number is 3.1%. (March 2019)
- Manchester's proximity to Boston offers local companies access to an educated and dynamic workforce. Students graduating from Harvard, MIT, Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern, and many other universities often search for jobs in Manchester.
- The minimum wage in New Hampshire is $7.25/hour.
Click here for demographic information, including education attainment levels and other workforce-related information.
Local and state resources include:
- NH Works is a one-stop source for employment information, including the services of NH Employment Security and the federally-funded NH Workforce Opportunity Council that coordinates a variety of workforce development programs. The NH Workforce Opportunity Council also administers the Workforce Development Training Fund.
- New Hampshire Employment Security's Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau collects, assembles, and analyzes data on employment and wages in New Hampshire and in the state's eighteen Labor Market Areas.