The U.S. manufacturing industry is experiencing a resurgence and faces a growing need for highly skilled workers. Recent reports project that demand for highly-skilled manufacturing workers will outpace supply in coming years, and this shortage may grow as the U.S. manufacturing industry grows and its labor needs shift. Furthermore, manufacturing…

The manufacturing workforce has been shaped by decades of industry transformation. Modern manufacturing requires workers with a diverse set of skills to perform functions such as research and development (R&D), product and production design, marketing and sales, and customer support. While workers with a high school diploma or less dominated…

The rising cost of college education and high unemployment levels among recent college graduates are raising the question "Is college worth its cost?" in the minds of many Americans. A recent study published by the Associated Press found that one out of every two recent college graduates is jobless or underemployed, suggesting maybe college isn't…

Due to the large number of individuals retiring over the next ten years a critical shortage of people available to work within the manufacturing industry is looming (Dychtwald, Erickson, & Morison, 2006). This shortage is exacerbated by the lack of a properly educated workforce that meets the demands of the 21st century manufacturer (Judy…

Robots--powerful, versatile, and easily adapted to new operations--may usher in a new industrial age. Workers throughout the labor force could be affected, as well as the nature of the workplace, skill requirements of jobs, and concomitant shifts in vocational education. (SK)

Export-related industries accounted for almost half of the rebound in manufacturing employment after the decline of 1984-86. (Author)

The weak economy of the early 1990s increased the number of displaced workers. Although a disproportionately large share were in the goods-producing industries, displacements were much more widespread across industries than a decade earlier. (Author)

Notes that during 1996, overall job gains were moderated by losses in nondurable goods manufacturing and federal employment, and that declining unemployment was tempered by persistent long-term joblessness. (Author)

By 2005, U.S. employment is expected to increase by 26.4 million, a 1.5% annual rate. Services will provide more than half of new job growth. Construction will add jobs; manufacturing employment will decline. Public sector employment will grow more slowly than average. (SK)

Examines changes in employment, unemployment, and hours of work in manufacturing, with particular focus on the five major metal-using and producing industries which are particularly sensitive to economic cycles. (SK)

Employment and hours movements are compared with patterns in two preceding recessions. (Editor)

In 1992, manufacturing continued to lose large numbers of jobs and other industries had small employment declines; only services and government added substantially to their employment but with weaker gains than in the 1980s. (Author)

Recent economic growth and improved manufacturing profitability are supporting increased employment for industrial engineers. Promising areas include modernizing manufacturing technology and productivity with large amounts of hiring in aerospace, electronics, and instrumentation. Percentages of women employed in these fields for 1982 and 1983 are…