Skilled production workers on the floor at Advance Turning and Manufacturing (photo by Ryan Kerwin, JTV)
Employment in Jackson manufacturing has increased by more than 15% in the past five years, with approximately 10,000 people employed in manufacturing careers. With an unemployment rate of 3.5% in Jackson County last month, area manufacturers are looking for innovative ways to attract employees to support the growth.
Jackson was highlighted by USA Today and the Wall Street Journal as one of the top 25 communities in the United States where manufacturing is surging, often tripling job growth over the national average. 24/7 Wall Street reviewed the percent change in manufacturing employment over the past five years to identify the cities where manufacturing is making a comeback.
Many of the new jobs are the result of expansion and growth at existing companies. In the past year, Airmaster Fan, Lomar Machine and Tool Co,, Multimatic, MACI, Classic Metal Finishing, Elm Plating and Advance Turning and Manufacturing are among the companies that have expanded operations and added positions.
Local leaders say this news is a result of more manufacturing staying in the United States and Jackson manufacturers diversifying into new products and market. In 2017, nearly $1 billion of manufacturing products were exported from Jackson County.
“It’s great to see some national press coverage of the positive turnaround that many U.S. cities with a strong manufacturing base—cities like Jackson, Michigan—have been experiencing”, said Bill Rayl, President of the Jackson Area Manufacturers Association. “This is good news for Jackson, for Michigan and for America.”
Rayl said the 24/7 Wall Street article “validates what we’ve seen on the ground locally with manufacturers posting open positions, hiring people and looking to hire even more.”
Tim Rogers, President and CEO of the Enterprise Group said “The Wall Street Journal article points to the importance of the resurgence of manufacturing to the Jackson area economy. Our innovative companies, their pool of skilled employees and our communities’ career training programs have made Jackson County a recognized leader in manufacturing.”
Rayl noted the challenge manufacturers face in matching people with jobs. “The employment growth numbers would be even more impressive if the skillsets of people looking for work were better aligned with the more technical requirements of today’s manufacturers. That’s the big challenge underlying this good news…the demand for skilled professional tradespeople is much higher than the current supply of qualified workers” said Rayl.
Both Rogers and Rayl pointed to the community’s response in training young people for careers in Jackson Manufacturing. Recent initiatives that are enjoying success are the JAMA’s Academy for Manufacturing Careers, the Jackson County ISD’s JAC3 Early/Middle College and Jackson Area Career Center, Jackson County Early College, Northwest School’s STEM Advanced Manufacturing & Engineering program, and new manufacturing- and engineering-related programs at Jackson College, Baker College and Spring Arbor University.
Jobs in manufacturing have also changed from dirty assembly lines of the past century to modern, clean high technology plants with a highly skilled and diversified workforce. Many new jobs require post-secondary education, certifications and licenses.
Said Rayl, “Jackson is responding to this challenge.”