Help Wanted: Skilled Manufacturing Workers

The U.S. economy is gathering momentum and the key driver is manufacturing. Not only is our industrial sector growing, but after more than a decade of losses in manufacturing jobs, we are actually going in the other direction. We added 50,000 manufacturing jobs in January on top of 32,000 the month before. This is a welcome trend that augurs well for the near term future. As former President of the National Association of Manufacturers and the Manufacturing Institute, I am well aware that manufacturing jobs have a powerful multiplier effect on the economy, supporting jobs in services and other industrial sectors. On average, 100 manufacturing jobs support 58 other jobs.

There is no great mystery why this is so. Manufacturing is intensely innovative and dynamic. It pulls raw materials from Mother Nature and transforms them with human creativity and liberal infusions of energy into finished products that enhance the quality of life for all of us. This is why the several states compete so vigorously for new manufacturing plants. State government officials understand that manufacturing is the straw that stirs their economic drink. The comeback of manufacturing is just what our economy needs.

via Jerry Jasinowski: Help Wanted: Skilled Manufacturing Workers.