10 S T U F F • N e w H a m p s h i r e , 2 0 1 7
28%
Increase in average
annual pay for
New Hampshire
manufacturing
workers vs.
education and
healthcare workers
Brenda
Cardenas
Age: 23
Title: Mechanical
Inspector
Company: Omni
Components
Location: Hudson
Residence: Nashua
Education: Currently
a student at Nashua
Community College
studying mechanical
engineering design
Salary: $13.30/hr at 40
hours per week
Off time: She cosplays,
which she has been
doing since high school.
report issued by the NH Manufacturing Sector
Partnership Initiatives (SPI).
And it's poised to get even stronger – so long as
manufacturers have the workforce to do it. Right now,
today's manufacturing workforce is aging out. About
59 percent of all manufacturing workers are 45 and
older, says Phil Przybyszewski, SPI workforce solu-
tions project director. This means in the coming years
there could be tremendous opportunities for those
who get into the field to advance and grow as compa-
nies look to replace retiring workers.
"They are the future for this, and quite frankly all,
the sectors," says Przybyszewski. "The next generation
of workers must come from our youth."
Clean, creative jobs
Lauren Head, marketing assistant at Lupine Pet in
Conway, was convinced walking onto the factory floor
– where all employees are expected to pitch in and
make pet leashes, collars and harnesses from time to
time – was going to be filthy like walking into a
mechanic's shop.
Continued from page 9
FA C T O I D
P H O T O / J E S S I C A A R N O L D
