PSRC recently completed a Workforce Recovery Planning Project to provide actionable regional labor market information on in-demand industries and occupations as well as related training programs to a broad array of stakeholders.
The region’s manufacturing industry was another area identified as showing a high demand for workers over the next decade, offering growing career opportunities with strong wages for workers, even those with only an associate’s degree or high school diploma.
The manufacturing industry is experiencing high demand especially in biotechnology and maritime manufacturing, and industry was especially hit hard during the pandemic.
Occupations within the manufacturing industry that offer the strongest opportunities are buying and purchasing agents, sales managers, and logisticians. A detailed profile was developed for each occupation that highlights the job outlook, expected work schedule, skills and licenses required, salary information, general job tasks, education and training required, as well as local opportunities for training. These profiles were designed to inform job seekers about these opportunities and provide detailed information on how to pursue them.
Opportunity occupations in the growing manufacturing industry:
Buyer and Purchasing Agent: buy products and services for organizations to use or resell. They evaluate suppliers, negotiate contracts, and review the quality of products. Purchasing managers oversee the work of buyers and purchasing agents and typically handle more complex procurement tasks.
Sales Manager: direct organizations’ sales teams. They set sales goals, analyze data, and develop training programs for organizations’ sales representatives. Sales managers’ responsibilities vary with the size of their organizations. However, most sales managers direct the distribution of goods and services by assigning sales territories, setting sales goals, and establishing training programs for the organization’s sales representatives.
Logistician: analyze and coordinate an organization’s supply chain—the system that moves a product from supplier to consumer. They manage the entire life cycle of a product, which includes how a product is acquired, allocated, and delivered.
The Workforce Recovery Planning Project was informed by stakeholder interviews held across industry groups, community and technical colleges, workforce development councils and worker advocate/labor unions. The final report identifies challenges and opportunities for increasing the talent pool diversity as well as including recommendations to increase access among underrepresented groups. Look for future blog posts highlighting other industries with strong career paths based on the findings.