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10 Hartford Business Journal • May 18, 2020 • www.HartfordBusiness.com By Sean Teehan steehan@hartfordbusiness.com W hen the COVID-19 pan- demic hit, Glastonbury aeroparts manufactur- er HABCO Industries LLC was on a hiring spree. The company, which designs and makes testing and support equip- ment for airframes and engines, added 42 employees in Connecticut last year, and CEO Brian Montanari doesn't see that slowing down even in the face of the coronavirus, thanks to a strong defense-con- tracts backlog. In fact, the economic fallout from the pandemic could help HABCO's hiring prospects. "Now there's an unintended benefit for us — people are going to be less likely to have the plethora of opportunities they might have," Montanari said. "It's exciting for us to be able to get some additional tal- ent, but it's still a sad thing." Not all Connecticut manufacturers will be able to take advantage of the sudden surge in unemployed workers as the economic downturn has hit the industry unevenly, said Eric Brown, vice president of manufacturing policy and outreach for the Connecti- cut Business & Industry Association. Many companies aren't thinking much about hiring in the short term, said Brown, who has been meeting via teleconference with members of the Connecticut Manufacturer's Collaborative industry group three times per week since pandemic shut- downs began in mid-March. "I think it will be some time before a lot of companies feel like they know what the next 12 months are going to be like for hiring," Brown said. "Hiring typically occurs when businesses have confidence about the marketplace, and obviously this is not a time of high confidence." Connecticut manufacturers did add 500 positions in March, despite the state shedding a net 7,500 jobs. The industry, which employs 163,000 people statewide, has been deemed essential by Gov. Ned Lamont so it's been allowed to stay open despite other parts of the economy being forced to shutter. However, many manufacturers — including giants like East Hartford jet-engine maker Pratt & Whitney, Farmington elevator producer Otis Worldwide Corp. and New Britain- based toolmaker Stanley Black & Decker — have recently announced layoffs or furloughs. And Connecticut's reliance on aerospace production — by far the CT manufacturers' hiring outlook uncertain, but new online training tools could boost skilled workforce HABCO Industries' shop workers wearing protective masks at the aerospace manufacturer's Glastonbury facility. FOCUS: WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT CT manufacturing output Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Output (in billions) $0 $5 $10 $15 $20 $25 $30 $35 $40 $38.75 $28.80 $29.11 $28.35 $28.98 $30.23 $29.21 $29.79 $27.71 $28.96 $30.78 Top 10 CT manufacturing segments (based on total output) Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Aerospace and other transportation equipment Fabricated metal products Miscellaneous manufacturing Computer and electronic products Food, beverage and tobacco products Electrical equipment and appliances Plastics and rubber products Motor vehicles and parts Chemicals Machinery Total output (in millions) $0 $1,000 $2,000 $3,000 $4,000 $5,000 $6,000 $7,000 $8,000 Sector $7,646.5 $4,846.3 $4,035.5 $2,485.7 $1,922.7 $1,859 $1,487.1 $1,269.8 $616.4 $476 $1,922.7 $1,859 $1,487.1 $1,269.8 $616.4 $476 Continued on facing page >> PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED