Demographics and Workforce
From industrial-age innovators to clean room pioneers.623,989
population
313,279
Labor Force
60.4%
labor force participation rate
38.7%
Bachelor’s Degree or Higher (population 25+ years)
Vermont workers have long had a reputation for hard work, craftsmanship, and reliability.
Our highly educated workforce is supported by training and certification programs that provide a
continuous pipeline of employees for Vermont businesses.
Craftsmanship and a strong work ethic run deep in the Vermont culture and in our highly educated workforce. Vermont consistently ranks high for education quality and with 38,000 students attending the state’s 18 well-regarded colleges and universities each year, our employers have a steady stream of young talent on their doorsteps.
Not only does the state provide funding for work-based training programs, our colleges and universities are considered leaders in the nation in curricula that are increasingly relevant to growth businesses. Among those programs that have garnered national attention are:
- gaming and coding at Champlain College;
- languages at Middlebury College;
- security and cyber security at Norwich University;
- environmental law at Vermont Law School; and
- food systems, agriculture, nutrition, and medical at the University of Vermont.
Vermont’s ongoing commitment to workforce innovation generates workers skilled in new technologies. Organizations like BTV Ignite and Burlington Code Academy provide access to coding and software training for tech workers. Community College of Vermont offers certificate training in manufacturing, healthcare, and finance while Vermont Technical College provides ongoing training in trades, manufacturing, human resources, and teaching.
The Vermont Department of Labor offers multiple workforce development resources for employers to hire and train existing and new workers. Employers can sign up for weekly regional #HiringVT2Day Virtual Job Fairs. Vermont JobLink is the state’s nationally connected job search portal. The Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Administration (VOSHA) helps employers protect the health and safety of working Vermonters.
Creating a pipeline of skilled talent, led by employers
Leveraging lessons learned from supply-chain management, Vermont Talent Pipeline Management (VTPM) expands the role of employers in rethinking the development and sourcing of Vermont’s future workforce. Industry collaborative pilot programs have been launched for construction and healthcare, with a pilot for manufacturing being formed now.
Vermont Key Demographics
Sources: U.S. Census, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics