 The national March 2012 Institute of Supply Management Report on Business is based on data compiled from purchasing and supply executives across the nation. These professionals have knowledge of the manufacturing sector as a whole and details on the economies of individual industries within the sector.
The Report on Business states that activity in the manufacturing sector grew for the 32nd consecutive month. In particular, growth occurred in 15 out of 18 industries.
But with baby boomer’s retiring, who handles the new work? Employers are seeking skilled workers not only to handle burgeoning growth but also to replace the baby boomers who are retiring. Though some boomers have delayed retirement to replace lost retirement savings, they will soon begin to drop out of the workforce. This is reaching a critical point in the Midwest. When the boomers depart, companies will be left with labor shortages, and consequently, lost productivity. According to Cleveland.com “The long-term implications [of labor shortage] are especially pronounced in Ohio, where the population of prime working-age adults has declined faster than most other states.” The issue in Dayton, Cleveland and Youngstown seems to be a labor shortage and not a job shortage. David Dysinger, a manufacturing manager at the family owned precision machining company in Dayton, explained that skilled tradesmen don’t appear overnight. “It’s very hard to hire experienced people because there are more jobs than there are skilled people in the labor pool.” He noted that it takes about 10 years for new hire to become a “top notch” tool maker or machinist. Springfield’s McGregor Metalworking president Dane Belden estimates 15 percent of his workforce is age 60 or older. He has initiated an internship program to help bring in younger workers. This labor deficit should give working-age adults a plethora of jobs from which to choose. Time for you to consider a new job? Time Staffing is actively recruiting skilled workers to fill our many open jobs. If you have been seeking clerical, administrative, general labor, assembly, machinist or shift work, we have jobs available. Plus, we have six locations to serve you. You can apply today and create an account in under two minutes. Don’t wait. Your best job ever could be waiting! As industries have petered out of the U.S. and stores have stocked shelves with imports, Americans may have the perception that our country no longer considers manufacturing a prime industry. The long downward slope in employment for manufacturing would seem to support that idea. Since 1979 to date, the number of workers in manufacturing has declined approximately 40 percent.
What that number doesn’t reveal is that the United States still reigns as a power in manufacturing. While the cost of labor is higher in the U.S. than in Asia, manufacturers in America have accommodated this competitive issue by specializing in higher-value items. According to the New York Times Business Daily, U.S. manufactured exports topped $1.07 trillion. Most of us never think in numbers that size. As of 2012, for total exports, the United States ranks just behind China and just ahead of Germany. Machinery, chemicals and transportation equipment comprise more than half of exports. While cheaper computers are produced in Asia, exportation of computers and electronic products by the U.S. is also growing. As long as global economies remain healthy and trade barriers lowered, exporting manufactured goods should stay strong—good for American manufacturing. Job growth in manufacturing sector While the growth in manufacturing jobs has yet to catch up to the pre-recession level, The Times’ reports that since the low of February 2010, “the economy has added 2.4 million jobs through November 2011, of which 302,000 were in manufacturing.” Therefore, thanks in great part to manufacturing, the economy is improving. Supporting this trend, the Institute of Supply Management survey indicates that more companies are planning to hire. The stock market gain on Friday, end of the first quarter, also confirms the brighter outlook for job-seekers. If you are a job-seeker who has been patiently waiting for the right opportunity to become available, check out the open positions with Time Staffing, Inc. Even if we don’t show a job for you currently, don’t despair. New jobs are added weekly. Register now and check back often. We’re looking forward to helping you find your best job ever. As reported in The Washington Post, the first quarter of 2012 has passed and the Department of Labor has declared an improved job outlook, with the lowest level of unemployment in the past three years.
In February, the unemployment rate fell in 45 states, a broader improvement than in March when the unemployment rates fell again but only in 29 states. Even Michigan, one of the hardest hit states during the recession, showed a drop of 6 percent in unemployment to below double digits in response to a recovery in the auto industry. Auto sales have also boosted jobs in the Mercedes and BMW plants in South Carolina. Even Florida, hard-hit by the housing market decline has shown a drop in unemployment. California, though still painfully high at nearly 11 percent has shown progress over this time a year ago. While Nevada remains the highest in unemployment and, in fact, reported a loss of almost 13,000 jobs last month, North Dakota still purports the lowest rate at just over 3 percent. Forty-two states added a total of 227,000 in February. Over the past two months the biggest gains in jobs occurred in Ohio, Texas and New York. The Washington Post provides a graphic that designates the unemployment rate by county of each state. This good news about job growth comes at a time when more than 40 states are facing significant operating budget shortfalls (per The Washington Post). States have a “balanced budget law,” and the gaps must be adjusted before the state can adopt the budget. Cost cutting in the states’ budgets will affect education, health care and state employee benefits. But the growth in jobs indicates potential revenue for the states. Tips to help you with your job search Being a proactive job-seeker, it’s a good idea to get to know the companies in your vicinity. This information will help you determine interest in where you may wish to work. You can often find information about businesses in your area on the Internet, in newspapers or through community organizations. To maximize your job search, it’s a good idea to partner with a staffing firm like Time Staffing, Inc. We have built a relationship with local employers and have knowledge of current available jobs. When you register, a member from Time Staffing, Inc. will take time to talk with you about your needs and goals then suggest a position that will be the best fit for you and the client company. If you’ve been waiting for the economy to improve, now may be your time to get that dream job. The Business Roundtable Network (BRN), an association of CEOs of leading companies in the United States, published the results of their First Quarter 2012 member survey. Since these companies encompass nearly 30 percent of the total valuation of the U.S. stock market, involve more than $6 trillion in annual revenues, and are responsible for employing 14 million people, it makes sense to hear about the survey results.
Jim McNerney, who is both the Chairman of BRN and Chairman, President and CEO of The Boeing Company thinks that despite obstacles such as the future growth in Asia and uncertainty of the U.S. political position, which pose a threat, the economy has potential for improvement. The recent BRN survey asked the member CEOs how optimistic they were about the next half of the year in regard to first quarter results. When asked how they would expect their company’s U.S. employment to change in the next six months, nearly half of the 128 CEO respondents indicated that they expected hiring to increase. The BRN survey also indicated that these executives expected an upturn in sales and capital spending over the next half of the year. More sales growth means more economic stability and, hopefully, translates to an improved job market for the U.S. workforce. Not all first quarter results from manufacturing companies are tallied. Some companies, like AK Steel Holding Corporation in West Chester, Ohio, will not publish their first quarter 2012 earnings until late April. Others, such as Omnova Solutions, Fairlawn Ohio, has already released its earnings report showing assets up slightly over first quarter the previous year. Recovery in some industries may still prove sluggish, but overall, the sun is peeking over the horizon. Good news for job-seekers Why not take advantage of the upswing in the job market? Take a few seconds to register with Time Staffing, Inc. Besides keeping you up to date on the latest issues in employment, we’re also recruiting talented individuals to fill our ongoing open positions. Getting to know you, your needs and goals is important to us because we take pride in matching the right people with the right jobs. Time Staffing, Inc. is also active in your community resource and civic organizations. Our involvement permits us the opportunity to network with experts and be in the lead to learn of new hiring needs. Access our current open positions and check frequently, especially with the predicted increase in available jobs over the next quarter. |
