Manufacturing sector creates new jobs for Washington’s unemployed

Rather than outsourcing manufacturing jobs to foreign countries, companies such as Terex Aerial Work Platforms are keeping these positions domestic and helping reduce the United States' unemployment rate, one person at a time. In Washington state, for example, more than 14,600 jobs were created by the manufacturing sector over the past year.

Since December alone, Terex has hired approximately 500 workers to assist in the production of blue Genie aerial lifts, telescopic booms and scissor lifts. By leveraging a Lean manufacturing process, Terex has been able to crank out these key components with what the Seattle Times describes as “relentless efficiency.”

Washington's manufacturing sector has “been the highlight of the past 12 months,” Dave Wallace, senior labor economist at the Employment Security Department, told the news source.

“It's not only about the jobs numbers,” Wallace added. “These tend to be pretty high-paying jobs. They tend to have a stronger economic impact.”

Many companies have grown to realize the benefits of Lean manufacturing, which has led to a preference for skilled domestic labor over inexpensive foreign workforces.