Growth curve
Manufacturing employment rose by more than 15,000 jobs nationally in January, with the sector continuing to add net new jobs at a solid pace and with average weekly earnings up 2.8 percent year-over-year.
Both nationally and locally, manufacturers report the challenge is recruiting new workers. The NEW Manufacturing Alliance’s 2018 Manufacturing Vitality Index reported nearly 90 percent of manufacturers in Northeast Wisconsin cited recruitment as a top challenge, with general labor being the hardest position to fill.
The tight labor market is helping to push up wages in the sector, with average weekly earnings for production and nonsupervisory employees up to $888.63 in January, a 2.8 percent growth over the past 12 months.
