Career Resources

Career Resources

Where Are the Manufacturing Jobs?

Posted August 23, 2013 & filed under Job Search

Where Are the Manufacturing Jobs?

On a national scale, manufacturers may still have cold feet about hiring employees in large quantities but certain regions are showing a promising increase in the demand for engineers and manufacturing professionals. Statistics compiled from Careerbuilder job advertisements over a two year period show pockets of optimism across the country through a growing demand for additional employees.

The Largest Demand

Looking at the list, it’s no surprise that certain greater metropolitan areas are highlighted. Los Angeles is logically at the top with the current boom in aerospace/aeronautics and medical manufacturing. Since these industries have been established for some time, the growth in the LA metro area is only marginal at best. New York, Chicago, and Detroit are other perennials for high manufacturing demands.

On the flip side, there are some metro areas with piquant growth. San Francisco, Houston, and the Dallas/Fort Worth area – have jumped up by about 10,000 positions each. There are other smaller metropolitan areas that, though they boast a smaller demand, are seeing drastic increases in demand yet the picture isn’t complete without the actual supply of manufacturing talent on the market.

Where the Job Seekers Are

Certain metro areas have a huge gap between the number of open positions and the professionals available to fill them. Take into account that some job seekers may be suffering from a skills gap for these positions and the rift between open jobs and qualified candidates may be even wider. Only Chicago and Fort Worth have a supply of talent that surpasses the demand but even then, if a candidate has the right skills, there is still a chance of a landing a job (they just need to know they’ll be up against steep competition).

In Conclusion

If job seekers look in the right metro markets, they might be able to find opportunities that have up until now eluded them. Ultimately, any job seeker has to make the decision whether or not to uproot from any current home but those who decide to do so have a chance to reap the rewards of regional growth.

by James Walsh

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