Regional manufacturing jobs to grow 1.84 percent this year

Manufacturing jobs in Benton and

Franklin counties are expected to grow at a faster rate than the state average

as food manufacturing rebounds in 2019.

Locally, there are more than 8,100

manufacturing jobs, which accounts for about 7 percent of total nonfarm

employment in 2018, according to the state Employment Security Department, or

ESD.

In Kennewick, Pasco and Richland,

total nonfarm employment increased by 3,192 jobs (2.8 percent) in 2018 over the

previous year. Manufacturing jobs increased by 150, or nearly 2 percent, during

the same period.

Statewide, manufacturing job estimates

show an increase of 3,492 job, or 1.2 percent. Total estimated employment in

the state was slightly over 3.4 million in 2018, with 287,225 of those

positions qualifying as manufacturing positions.

For 2019, regional manufacturing jobs

are projected to grow at a rate of 1.84 percent, while the rest of the state

will continue a slow and gradual growth of 0.25 percent, according to the ESD.

Pasco boasts the most manufacturing

jobs in the two-county area. The most dominant occupational group for

manufacturing in the region? Production operations. The largest employing

occupation? Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders.

Other positions increasing locally

over the years are: welders, cutters, solderers and brazers; structural metal

fabricators and fitters; machinists; and production workers. Jobs decreasing in

the region include: inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers and weighers; and

cutting and slicing machine setters, operators and testers.

The political climate can take a toll

on manufacturing growth, with the biggest impact usually coming from consumer

spending confidence, said Ajsa Suljic, the ESD’s regional labor economist.

However, she also noted that food manufacturing tends to be affected by

political actions.

“Manufacturers who export their

products tend to feel the impacts at a greater rate than those who (sell) on

the national level,” she said.

One of the main reasons for the

decrease in manufacturing positions in general is automation. Agriculture and

manufacturing are two of the leading sectors in automation adoption and

innovation, Suljic said.

Advances in technology allow companies

to cut labor costs, increase productivity and output, be more competitive and

increase market relevance on the global scale. However, automation doesn’t mean

employers aren’t hiring.

“Some of the most advanced automation

in manufacturing has been quality control,” said Suljic, explaining that laser,

sensor and visual detectors and sizer machines have perfected quality control

for many years now. “(But) job automation can and has led to the creation of

jobs in other areas, such as research and development, marketing, programming,

software development and robotic management. As we look at population growth as

the future labor supply, it points to an even greater need for automation for

the jobs that are repetitive and don’t require as much human intellectual

capital. The work force will need to, as a result of automation, engage more

systematically with new machines as part of retooling of their skills as well

as staying relevant in the work force.”

Some of the positions more immune to

automation — especially in food manufacturing — are managerial, product

development, marketing and maintenance, she added.

According to the National Manufacturers

Association, or NMA, manufacturers contributed $2.33 trillion to the U.S.

economy in the first quarter of 2018. For every $1 spent on manufacturing,

$1.89 more is added to the economy, NMA reported. There are currently more than

12 million manufacturing workers in the United States, which accounts for 8.6

percent of the entire work force.

Even though the industry has fallen in

favor of automation for manufacturing positions, Suljic said local

manufacturers are having a hard time filling experienced supervisory or

managerial roles.

“Most of the manufacturing employers

are looking for skills, knowledge and abilities in individuals who are willing

to work in teams, learn and develop on the job,” Suljic said. “The interest in

manufacturing is much different than 20 to 30 years ago. Our work force will

need to be trained for the future, which requires more training in science,

technology, engineering and math than manual labor.”

To help introduce students and get them

excited about careers in the field, schools such as the Tri-Tech Skills Center

in Kennewick offers welding technology programs and Columbia Basin College in

Pasco offers degrees in manufacturing technology.

The NMA reported that the average

manufacturing worker in the United States earned $84,832 annually in 2017,

including pay and benefits. The average worker in nonfarm industries earned

$66,847 annually. Over the next decade, nearly 3.5 million manufacturing jobs

likely will be needed nationally and 2 million are expected to go unfilled due

to the skills gap, the NMA said.

Suljic said future careers in the field

include stationary engineers and boiler operators, quality assurance and

project development, branding and marketing and logistics, to name a few.

“Most of the time, to get a higher

position, experience is needed along with education,” she said. “Individuals

interested in manufacturing could plan out their careers of interest and follow

the career ladder to their desired position, or have a clear sense of where

they want to be 20 or 30 years down in their careers.”