Mainebiz

April 29, 2019

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V O L . X X V N O. I X A P R I L 2 9 , 2 0 1 9 46 25 Remaking manufacturing Gains in productivity do not always equate to more jobs B y J a m e s M c C a r t h y A line graph depicting manufactur- ing's workforce in Maine over the past 25 years is not a pretty sight. From 1995, the manufacturing sector was in a steep steady decline for 15 years, falling from 84,700 jobs at the start of 1995 to 51,000 jobs in 2010. It levels off at roughly 51,000, with slight seasonal dips and rises, until the end of 2018, when it begins a modest rise. At least for now, manufacturing's workforce is growing — with February's 53,400 manufacturing jobs recorded by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics being 2,000 more jobs than the tally at the start of 2018. It's not quite time to bring out the champagne, but it is a noteworthy gain for a business sector that 60 years ago accounted for 43% of the nonfarm jobs and had fallen to 8.1% of Maine's non- farm jobs by the end of 2017. Especially, if the job growth trend continues. According to a research brief from the Maine Department of Labor's Center for Workforce Research and Information, Maine's manufacturing sector lost 13,500 jobs in the 1990s and 28,800 jobs in the 2000s up until the plateau mark of 51,000 in 2010. Since 2000, according to the research brief, the largest losses were in forest prod- ucts (paper and other wood products), apparel and leather products, computer and electronic products and textiles. ose declines were due to many factors, including continued transfer of produc- tion of labor-intensive goods such as shoes and apparel to other countries, the increased use of technology and the impact of two recessions. In addition to the recent upturn in manufacturing jobs, here are some numbers gleaned from the 2018 Maine Manufacturing Summit Report com- piled by the Manufacturers Association M A N U FA C T U R I N G S PONS OR ED BY FOR MORE INFO AND TO REGISTER GO TO MAINEBIZ.BIZ/EIF For small businesses and start-ups, it's essential to have more than a good idea. Often the sales and marketing strategy gets overlooked until it's too late. Learn how to brand and sell from key experts, and discover best practices you can put to use today. FOLLOW US @MBEVENTS #MBEIF19 On August 22, discover best practices to brand, market, and sell your products! August 22 Hilton Garden Inn, 5 Park Street, Freeport S O U R C E : U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics MAINE'S MANUFACTURING WORKFORCE, 2001–2018 40K 45K 50K 55K 60K 65K 70K 75K 2018 '17 '16 '15 '14 '13 '12 '11 '10 '09 '08 '07 '06 '05 '04 '03 '02 2001 92,500 1994 70,300 2001 50,100 2013 52,900 2018 A chart from the March 1995 issue of Mainebiz shows a dramatic five-year drop in manufacturing jobs.

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