Give Work A Chance: Outlook for local jobs is bright for 2023
North Carolina is no longer the same place it was in 2021. During the last 30 years, the state saw a mass exodus of manufacturing jobs in which over 300,000 jobs were eliminated due to offshoring of textiles, furniture and mass manufacturing. The middle-class jobs were decimated throughout North Carolina and specifically in Davidson County. Many local communities and schools became saturated with citizens living below poverty levels. With the loss of Lexington Furniture, Thomasville Furniture, numerous textile firms, retail and services jobs replaced those lost manufacturing. However, wage levels in restaurants and retail are significantly less than manufacturing options. Many local youths moved to larger cities for employment in Charlotte, Raleigh, Atlanta and comparable metro areas where higher wage jobs could be had. Thus, the area lost considerable local human capital.
With the introduction of over 40,000 jobs in the state, well-paying advanced manufacturing jobs can be found locally and in commutable distances. Nucor Steel is building a steel mill in Davidson County that will require over 150 workers. With 5000 Toyota Electric Vehicle Battery production coming to the Guilford/Randolph Megasite, job seekers can expect average wages of $70,000 each year. With the Boom Supersonic Jet factory coming to Greensboro Airport and needing over 1500 workers to build the next generation of the Concorde called Overture, the Triad has garnered international attention. With the addition of VinFast near Sanford in Chatham County that will be assembling electric vehicles, an additional 7500 jobs will be yielded.
In addition, an estimated 15,000-plus supply jobs from future and current manufacturers will be added over the next several years to meet the needs of these new industries. Plus, a new electric boat manufacturer is slated to come to Marion.
The Tar Heel State is no longer the evacuation state but the manufacturing destination state due to land availability and the strength of community college systems to upgrade area talent.
It not only has to prepare for the new companies but also the vacuum jobs that are going to be created from existing employers who migrate to the new well-publicized companies. However, don’t forget to support those existing companies. Don’t allow the companies that have supported the area for decades to become destabilized by new employers.
Sadly, the residue of old manufacturing continues to taint parents from encouraging their families to pursue these lucrative and mentally stimulating career pathways. Used to be parents would say, you better study or you will end up working in a factory. Nowadays, area youth would be well served to work in advanced manufacturing careers.
Encourage young neighbors to reconsider their future pathways and not simply long for sports and entertainment options that are few and not as impactful and lucrative to long-term socially impactful jobs in manufacturing.
