Until relatively recently, the US production industry was in decline. When the recession started to subside in 2009, however, the mainland manufacturing sector began to show signs of renewed life. Machines replaced many of the unskilled assembly line positions previously available; meanwhile, high-tech jobs became increasingly common. Since 2010, the production industry has added over half a million jobs, bringing to an end a three-decade sector slump.
Today's manufacturing job is very different from the type of position available forty years ago. Instead of working long hours for minimal pay, employees often work in tandem with sophisticated robotics equipment and specialized tools to produce incredibly intricate devices. The assembly line of old is very much outdated: the "boring" tasks have been largely automated, leaving a slew of high-tech jobs for real, live people.
Before the widespread incorporation of robotics, many manufacturing businesses outsourced product fabrication to third-party companies in overseas facilities. After all, comparatively lower wages paid to foreign employees led to greater profit margins for the manufacturing industry. Unfortunately, the practice did nothing for the American economy or the US unemployment level. When consumer preference started to swing back toward American-made items, manufacturing companies began bringing production processes back to the US as part of a reshoring movement.
One particularly profound example of reshoring—and its impact on the number of high-tech jobs available in the US—is Xerox's decision to move part of its production process from China to America. The corporation plans to relocate manufacturing equipment from its current facility in China to the SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering Smart System Technology and Commercialization Center in Canandaigua, New York. Approximately a hundred new jobs are expected to become available at the site over the next five years.
Political support for US-made product has also seen resurgence. In his February 2013 State of the Union address, President Obama announced his plans to drive manufacturing industry growth in economically impoverished areas of the country. In December of the same year, the president hosted an event at the White House in which he introduced Promise Zones. Under the initiative, employment opportunities in the manufacturing sector—including high-tech jobs—would be made available in hard-hit cities such as Philadelphia, San Antonio, and Los Angeles.
In combination with the current administration's plans to increase the number of high-tech jobs in recession-weary areas, reshoring may breathe new life into the production sector over the next few years. As consumer demand for American-made products grows and more companies move production processes back to the US mainland, the number of high-tech jobs in manufacturing will likely increase dramatically.
(Photo courtesy of Freedigitalphotos.net)
Become a member to take advantage of more features, like commenting and voting.
Register or sign in today!