Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 11 D E C E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 2 2 F O C U S M A N U FA C T U R I N G group making up the biggest proportion (23.6%) of U.S. manufacturing jobs in 2021, according to U.S. Census data cited by Glenn Mills, Maine's chief labor economist. "You would find few sectors with such a heavy concentration of older people," which in turn means higher retirement and quit rates, Mills says. "For man- ufacturers, they are rightly concerned when they look at their workforce as a bunch of baby boomers. It's not only how do they get the new bodies in to replace them, but how do they replace that institutional long- term knowledge as well?" Another unique challenge for the sector is the lack of hybrid work opportunities that became highly popular during the pandemic, notes Holly Lancaster, director of recruiting at KMA, some of whose manu- facturing clients are hiring in the hundreds. "In manufacturing there's not a whole lot of flex- ibility," she says. "You really have to have people on site, and the whole business is dependent on that widget getting made." She urges employers to hire attractive candidates quickly and keep them happy. "Don't just assume you've got them there and you're done," she says. To attract and keep workers, manufacturers have been raising pay and adding benefits. at's docu- mented in the latest data from the Maine Department of Labor, showing the average weekly wage at $1,216 in the second quarter. Up 8.6% over a year ago, that marks the fastest rate of increase in the last two decades, for 53,839 jobs at 1,880 establishments. BIW's hiring drive With 7,000 employees on its payroll, BIW is one of Maine's largest manufacturers and one of the state's largest private employers. e defense contractor, owned by General Dynamics Corp. (NYSE: GD), is under contract from the U.S. Navy to build, main- tain and modernize combat vessels. e company is currently seeking to fill 125 posi- tions, from manual laborers to office jobs. e hiring drive follows a spike in retirements last year, to about double the normal attrition rate for retirement of 3% to 4%. Ray Steen, BIW's vice president of human resources, says the surge in retire- ments was related to the Local S6 union's pension plan, affecting mainly trades jobs. is year, the number of retirements is slightly less than normal, he says. We've never had anyone not show up for work on Day One, but we hired someone who left after lunch and never came back. — David Nemi Franklin Printing Ware-Butler Industrial will supply prod- ucts to earthwork and concrete jobs, roads/bridges/construction jobs, grow businesses, storage units, livestock farms, health centers and commercial buildings of all types, infrastructure projects such as sand-salt sheds and municipal buildings, etc. WAREBUTLER.COM CONTACT US for your non-residential and commercial construction needs across Maine. Put our statewide buying power and experienced sales team to work for you! industrial@warebutler.com Fabric / Pipe / Culverts / Styrofoam insulation / Construction lumber Sheet goods / Millwork / Metal roofing and siding products PRODUCTS OFFERED: CUSTOM WORK AVAILABLE C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E »

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