Manufacturing & Distribution Jobs

Manufacturing Jobs Typically, establishments in the manufacturing industry are described as factories, plants or mills, which use power-driven machines, however companies which transform materials or substances into new products by hand are also included in the manufacturing sector. The United States Department of Labor reports "The manufacturing sector comprises establishments engaged in the mechanical, physical or chemical transformation of materials, substances or components into new products.

The broad manufacturing industry basically has 18 sectors. The major manufacturing categories are defense, food, textiles, petroleum, chemicals, electronics, transportation equipment and plastic/rubber and electrical components.

Many economists report no other sector contributes more to a country's overall productivity than the manufacturing sector. In general, the manufacturing industry has long been in decline in the United States. As manufacturing weakens a country runs up a trade deficit.

Manufacturing & Distribution Employment - Employer Reviews

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Manufacturing Industry Facts

The United States ranks behind all industrial nations except France in the percentage of overall economic activity devoted to manufacturing (World Bank)
US manufacturing produces about $1.6 trillion of value every year or about 11.2 percent of GDP (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Industry Economic Accounts (2009)
U.S. manufacturers perform two-thirds of all R&D in the country, powering more innovation than any other sector (National Science Foundation 2008)
In the fourth quarter of 2010 there were 342,811 manufacturing companies in the private sector (Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS))
In the fourth quarter of 2010 local, state and federal governments combined had 104 manufacturing establishments (BLS)

Manufacturing Industry Employment Background

The manufacturing industry includes a variety of careers. Jobs cover a range of skill and education levels. Manufacturing jobs, particularly union jobs, provide good wages and benefits. The manufacturing industry also includes a lot of research and development jobs.

Engineering and technology jobs are vital in all kinds of manufacturing sectors, particularly during the early stages of product and process development.

Maintenance, installation and repair workers help keep the manufacturing sector operating smoothly. They primarily work on electrical or mechanical equipment.

Logistics and distribution workers move goods to where they need to go. They strive to get products to the right place at the right time.

Business, management and administration professionals are needed for a variety of jobs such as customer service, sales people, and accountants. Some of these positions require specific knowledge related to manufacturing.

Manufacturing Industry Employment Statistics

As of June 2011 manufacturing accounts for 11,707 (in thousands) jobs in the United States (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
As of June 2011 there were 8,204 (in thousands) production and nonsupervisory employees in the manufacturing industry
Manufacturing supports an estimated 18.8 million jobs in the United States (BLS)
Almost 12 million Americans (9 percent of the workforce) are employed directly in manufacturing (BLS)
In 2010 10.7 percent of wage and salary workers in the manufacturing sector were in unions
In 2010 there were 693,270 team assemblers, 281,190 inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers and weighers, 280,120 machinists and 91,790 purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail and farm products (BLS)

Manufacturing Employment Outlook

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a nine percent employment loss in the manufacturing sector from 2008 to 2018 due to automation, productivity gains, and international competition. The BLS projects a 24 percent decline in employment in the household appliance manufacturing sector from 2008 to 2018. The BLS also forecasts a decline in employment in apparel, machinery manufacturing, computer and electronic product manufacturing.

the BLS expects employment growth in a few manufacturing sectors, for example the BLS forecasts employment to grow by 6 percent by 2018 in pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing, however this employment growth is expected to add only 17,600 new jobs. Experts report the number of "green" manufacturing jobs should increase over the years.