Oregon’s manufacturing sector added 3,700 jobs and the average salary for manufacturing positions rose to $64,004 in 2014, signaling continued industry growth for makers throughout the state. That’s based on results from a survey administered and assessed by the Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership (OMEP) between October and December of last year to determine the state of manufacturing in Oregon.
Complete results from OMEP’s State of Manufacturing survey were shared with hundreds of manufacturers during the 2016 Oregon Manufacturers’ Summit in Salem. The annual Summit brings together manufacturing companies and professionals throughout Oregon to address industry needs, growth and changes. This year’s Summit theme, Making Great Workplaces, specifically addressed ways to find, grow and retain skilled employees for manufacturing jobs with presentations and breakout sessions focused on improving company culture and boosting engagement in the work environment.
“Results from our survey indicate that 2015 was another exceptional year for manufacturing in Oregon, a testament to the remarkable companies in our state and hardworking Oregonians,” said OMEP President Chris Scherer. “Manufacturing is the backbone of Oregon’s economy and as an industry we take pride in the products we create and the positive impact we have on the state economy.”
Since December 2010, manufacturing filled nearly 23,000 jobs in an industry that employs nearly 200,000 hardworking Oregonians and accounts for 26 percent of state gross product. In 2014, Oregon manufacturing accounted for $17.8 billion in annual exports.
Nearly 100 manufacturing companies throughout Oregon completed the State of Manufacturing survey. Key findings from the survey indicate:
• Wages have increased. Oregon’s large computer and electronics manufacturing sector is a major force in increasing the average salary for manufacturing to $64,004 in 2014, as compared to $45,893 in the private sector.
• Labor costs are higher. Forty percent of respondents experienced higher labor costs last year. Only 8 percent had lower labor costs, while 50 percent expect higher labor costs in 2016.
• Robots on the rise? There’s a mixed response if machines will steal manufacturing jobs. Thirty-four percent of respondents report that new technology and equipment are inducing less hiring. But 37 percent say the opposite, that these factors are leading to additional hiring.
• Capacity is expanding. Fifty-eight percent of respondents reported higher capital expenditures in 2015 with expectations of increased spending in 2016. Nearly no respondents expected to cut capital spending this year.
• More employees, longer hours. Nearly half of all firms expect to add employees in 2016, up from 35 percent in 2015. Thirty percent of firms also expect that employee work hours will increase this year.
• Product pricing on the rise. Approximately 46 percent of firms forecast higher pricing for final products in 2016, up more than 10 percent from 2015. The percent of firms expecting higher costs for new customer acquisition, raw materials and finished materials rose by double digits in all three areas.
About OMEP
The Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership (OMEP) is a not-for-profit organization that helps Oregon manufacturers grow through innovation and respond to the challenges of competing in an increasingly global economy. One of 60 Manufacturing Extension Partnership resource organizations nationwide, OMEP receives state, federal and private funding to assist manufacturers in transforming the way they do business. Since 2002, OMEP clients have seen $888 million in increased or retained sales. And in Oregon, nearly 30 percent of the gross state product comes from manufacturing, the second highest in the U.S. OMEP’s goal for Oregon’s small and medium-sized manufacturing companies is daily improvement and long-term profitability. OMEP helps company leaders learn new approaches and strategies for innovation, new product development, an engaged workforce, operational excellence, supply chain management, enhanced sustainability/efficiency efforts, business transition planning and global competitiveness. For more information, visit www.omep.org.
