20 S T U F F • 2 0 1 7
The manufacturing industry
still struggles to change the
perception of dead-end jobs
and layoffs from 30 years ago
By Sarah Connell
Changing
the Narrative
M
anufacturers contributed $2.8
trillion to the economy last year,
so why does Generation Z view
manufacturing as a notoriously
bleak industry?
The National Association of Manufacturers
(NAM) reports, "Over the next decade, nearly 3.5
million manufacturing jobs will likely be needed,
and 2 million are expected to go unfilled due to
the skills gap." According to the Pew Research
Institute, Gen-Z accounts for more than 25 percent
of America's population and has just begun to
enter the job market.
Unfortunately, manufacturing is misunderstood.
"The perception of manufacturing is that there
are not sustainable wages or careers in manufac-
turing," said Kathie Mahoney of the Massachusetts
Manufacturing Extension Partnership. "However,
the opposite is true."
The manufacturing industry accounts for
approximately 9 percent of the state output and
employs 8 percent of the total state workforce.
Furthermore, Mahoney reports the average annual
compensation reaches $85,450 – coming in high
above Massachusetts' living wage.
Holding onto parents' stereotypes
Problems of perception may stem from the fact
FACTOI D
15,130
Number of team
assemblers in
Massachusetts
Even though the
manufacturing industry has
shifted toward clean rooms
and higher-paying positions,
the industry still suffers from
the notion its employees
operate in less-than-desirable
work environments.
