Manufacturing opens more doors for women. | So Good News

The following is excerpted from the US Census Bureau.

US manufacturing experienced a sharp decline in employment between 2000 and 2010, but recovered in 2020 until the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite these fluctuations, it rose again in 2021.

But a fresh start doesn’t mean a return to traditional manual jobs. Instead, Manufacturing employers now need a new type of skilled worker to operate in highly automated systems.

In honor of the nation’s Manufacturing Day (Oct. 7), this shift may be opening the door for women, according to statistics and trends in the manufacturing industry being highlighted by the Census Bureau.

Some facts about women in manufacturing

• They make up about 47% of the US workforce, but only 30% work in manufacturing.
• One in four management positions is held by a woman.
• They earned an average of 16% more than the national average annual earnings for working women.

Men still hold the majority (67.9%) of U.S. manufacturing, but the Census Bureau’s Job-to-Job (J2J) Flows Explorer, 2010 to 2020, is epidemic. It shows that the production sector of women in every industry is on the rise. – Age category from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to 2020.

By 2021, Data shows numbers returning to pre-Covid levels. Some age groups show higher levels than before the epidemic. for example, 8.6% of people going into manufacturing jobs were women aged 55 to 64 before the pandemic, but that will increase to 9.1% by 2021.

Federal Reserve Bank of St. According to Louis, The number of manufacturing jobs in the United States fell from more than 17 million in 2000 to just over 12 million in 2015. This trend can be seen using the US Census Bureau’s Quarterly as shown below. Workforce Indicators (QWI) Explorer tool.

Among the reasons behind the decline in manufacturing jobs are: competitive challenges from global markets; Communication Higher productivity jobs such as finance and business are also attracting more workers.

In addition, The “Great Retirement” of baby boomers exiting the workforce is part of a major demographic shift.

Diversity is increasing.

As manufacturers seek to boost creativity, gender diversity has been found to improve employee morale and retention. As a result, Not only in manufacturing but also in science, technology Women in fields related to engineering and mathematics (STEM) have also increased, with skills employers in manufacturing increasingly need.

Manufacturing jobs were not dangerous jobs in the past. Many now move from design and marketing to management; From finance and sales to cyber security, technology is becoming more advanced.

Manufacturing used to be a well-paying industry without a college degree, giving many Americans a middle-class lifestyle. According to a 2017 Georgetown University report, most entry-level manufacturing positions pay $35,000 a year, compared to $26,000 for some jobs.

As automated manufacturing operations began to evolve; It most affected those with a high school diploma or less education. As manufacturing and assembly jobs disappear from the factory floor, post-secondary graduates are best placed to succeed in the new world of manufacturing.

Women’s recruitment

Among the ways the industry is attracting more women and reducing the gender gap: by encouraging girls at a young age to study STEM subjects and changing the perception of women in manufacturing. for example, Some universities offer college credit to girls in middle school and high school in manufacturing programs.