By David Farr and Jay Timmons
The past year has been a historic one for manufacturing workers. At last count, manufacturers in the United States have added 216,000 new jobs since the 2016 election. In St. Louis, for example, manufacturers have added jobs twice as fast as the national average. And recently, manufacturers hit a new milestone: we contribute a record $2.25 trillion to the U.S. economy.
Manufacturers in America are growing even stronger. We are confident about the future, and 2018 is shaping up to be another great year for the industry that is the backbone of the U.S. economy.
There are many reasons for this trend. Chief among them, leaders in the White House and Congress made American manufacturing a top priority, enacting policies like tax reform and regulatory relief that have dramatically improved the nation’s business climate and our global competitiveness. Missouri’s elected officials have followed suit, demonstrating a similar dedication to tax relief and regulatory reforms aimed at unleashing the full potential of manufacturing.
As a result, manufacturers large and small—from iconic brands to small businesses—have been empowered to invest in their people and communities. They are buying new equipment, hiring new workers, growing their companies and offering raises or bonuses.
But there is one big challenge before us: a study by Deloitte and the National Association of Manufacturers’ (NAM) Manufacturing Institute found that manufacturers will need to fill around 3.5 million job openings by 2025. But as many as 2 million of those jobs could go unfilled—because not enough people know about the promising opportunities in manufacturing or the ways to get the training needed for these in-demand jobs.
The NAM is on a mission to change that. Since last week, the NAM has been crisscrossing the country on its 2018 State of Manufacturing Tour to share not only the manufacturing success story but also the urgent need to grow the manufacturing workforce.
The jobs in modern manufacturing are high tech and diverse. We’re looking for programmers, technicians, coders, designers, marketers and much more. Technologies like robotics, augmented reality and 3D printing aren’t displacing workers; they are just changing the type of work that people are doing on and off the shop floor.
These jobs are also rewarding: on average, manufacturing workers earn about 27 percent more in wages and benefits than workers in all industries. Beyond that, the more than 12 million men and women in manufacturing have the satisfaction of knowing that they create things that matter.
They make lifesaving medicines and life-changing technologies. They are making our world more sustainable. They are revolutionizing food production. They are transforming the way we communicate.
These “new collar” jobs require education and training, but many don’t demand a four-year degree. And there are many entry points to a manufacturing career: veterans can apply skills acquired during military service. High school graduates and the long-term unemployed can enter apprenticeship programs to earn while they learn, without racking up student debt. Parents can fit part-time courses around their work and family responsibilities, and their children can discover the possibilities in manufacturing while they’re still in primary or secondary school through hands-on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs.
America has always been a land of opportunity, and that remains true today. For anyone looking for their first career or a new career, manufacturers want you to know we have a place for you. We are ready to empower any person who has the passion for creating things and solving problems. Our doors are wide open. This is the message we’ve delivered in Michigan, Kentucky, Indiana, Alabama, New York, Kansas and California in just the past two weeks. And it’s the one we are sharing right here in Missouri as we wrap up the State of Manufacturing Tour in manufacturing’s heartland.
2 http://kcur.org/post/greitens-calls-more-cuts-taxes-more-trims-state-government#stream/0
David Farr is the chairman and CEO of Emerson and board chair of the NAM. Jay Timmons is president and CEO of the NAM, the largest manufacturing trade association in the United States.
