This week while scrolling the various RSS feeds I look at each day, a headline from Buffalo Business First grabbed my attention:
“600,000 Manufacturing Jobs Unfilled in the U.S.”
The story was based on a survey done by Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute. What!, I said to myself. We have a reported unemployment rate of over 9%, with many more not working but unreported. How can we have this many jobs looking for workers?
As the story points out, “5% of current manufacturing jobs are unfilled due to lack of qualified candidates”. The unfilled jobs are primarily in the skilled trades’ area, such as machinists, craft workers and technicians. The article went on to point out “that the surveyed executives are concerned that these skills deficiencies are having a major impact on their ability to expand their operations or improve productivity”.
I have been involved with industrial distribution my entire life. To read that manufacturing production is being impeded by a lack of skilled talent appalls me. I grew up in the Buffalo, NY area and watched, just as people in Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Detroit, tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs disappear as companies moved first south, then offshore or just closed down. As a result we’ve lost the ability to train apprentices to become skilled tradesmen. Our schools have also lost their way and do not do a very good job of training our young people for careers that do not require a college education – such as plumbers, electricians, carpenters, machinists, etc.
While I don’t usually use this blog to express my political views, it does seem to me that any “jobs bill” at the federal level should focus on creating jobs in manufacturing and construction rather than filling more public employee union positions.
I learned a long time ago, in Economics 101, that manufacturing and construction jobs create more jobs and create wealth. That is what we need in this country, not more government employees – at all levels.
Dan Judge
Go get ‘em Dad! I wholeheartedly agree. Haven’t we been talking with suppliers over the last year about the excitement of manufacturing coming back to the U.S. because of high transportation costs, and the rising cost of labor in Asia as well?
Remember, when I met that couple at a wedding a few years ago (they knew Uncle Sam) who owned a machine shop in Rochester? Their son was not a ‘book person’ and struggled to be a part of the college-driven model that was pushed on him by his counsellors in high school. His mother told me how unhappy he was, until he finally dropped out. He started working at the machine shop, and went to trade school and loved it. She said what a shame that BOCES programs are perceived to be for kids who are ‘stupid,’ when really they provide an introduction and training to many of the skilled workers that we rely on everyday.
Maybe you should run for office? I think your voice and honesty would do this country a lot of good!