As the job market is booming, employers are looking for people with skills derived from the manufacturing industry. In addition, top employers are looking to hire workers with a background in manufacturing because it is one of the only fields that offer good salaries and employment opportunities. So if you’re considering a career in this field, take advantage of these 12 reasons why you should be hopeful about your future!
- Manufacturing companies offer competitive salary packages
- Manufacturing offers flexibility to work between full-time and part-time hours
- Manufacturing companies offer competitive benefits packages
- Manufacturing provides excellent career opportunities
- Manufacturing gives employees many places to work
- Manufacturing offers high levels of training
- Manufacturing has high job satisfaction rates
- Manufacturing employs thousands of veterans
- Manufacturing companies provide employees with opportunities for advancement
- Manufacturing offers job security
- Manufacturing companies are very flexible in hiring new employees
- As the number of manufacturing companies decline, so does the number of available jobs in this field!
The top 12 reasons that working in manufacturing is excellent are based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and job-search websites like Indeed, Monster, Careerbuilder, and Yahoo! Jobs.
The Future of Work in Manufacturing and What Will Jobs Look Like
If you’re interested in beginning a career in manufacturing, the outlook for this field is positive. Currently, the BLS reports that there are about 12,490,000 people employed by manufacturers, which is an average of about 217,000 new positions every month.
The five most common jobs in manufacturing are:
- Machine Operators – These employees use electric or hand-controlled machines to make or move items or materials. They set up and operate machines that straighten steel bars, press metal parts against dies to form them into shapes required by-products being manufactured, and drill holes into metal objects.
- Operating Engineers – Operating engineers maintain and repair factory equipment or power-driven machinery used for manufacturing goods. They also test or adjust machines used in manufacturing.
- Inspectors – These employees check the quality of manufactured products to make sure they meet production specifications and law requirements. They may also inspect products for defects, or cause defects, to be removed before they reach warehouse or retail stores.
- Material Movers – Material movers operate forklifts used to move large pieces of materials between storage areas, buildings, and outside locations within manufacturing facilities. They often work in extreme temperatures because they are exposed to heat generated by equipment during delivery operations or carrying materials outdoors on pallet jacks or other equipment.
- Mechanics – Mechanics are responsible for maintaining, repairing, and troubleshooting industrial equipment. Often, they must perform repairs while factories are operational.
The BLS also expects that manufacturing jobs will continue to rise because manufacturing companies are increasing production to meet growing global economic demands for manufactured goods.
Manufacturing industry employment is expected to grow faster than average, with average monthly employment growing by about 11 percent between 2010 and 2015. In addition, manufacturing is expected to see an increase of about 36 percent between 2022 and 2025.
More than half of the workers in the manufacturing industry are employed in durable goods industries such as machinery or chemicals, which includes pharmaceuticals.
By 2022, about 200,000 new workers are expected to join the manufacturing industry. That represents about a 15 percent increase from 2021 and an average of about 23,000 new workers each year.
