Connecticut Manufacturing Survey Shows Room For Growth, Future Job Creation 

HARTFORD — At the State Capitol August 8, Congressman Chris Murphy was joined by Senator Richard Blumenthal and Connecticut manufacturers to release the results of a survey of 151 Connecticut manufacturers conducted by Rep Murphy’s office.

The survey was developed to hear directly from the people working in the industry that has sustained Connecticut for three centuries, to find ways to create jobs and keep them here, and to help revitalize Connecticut’s manufacturing sector.

“We asked manufacturers across the state what they wanted to see from their government,” said Rep Murphy. “This report gives us even more of the hard data we need to continue to make the strongest possible case for Connecticut manufacturing in Washington.”

The congressman said if 89 percent of manufacturers say they need more skilled workers to create and fill jobs, it should serve as a caution to Congress to not make drastic cuts in funding for education and vocational training.

“We need more skilled workers in America, not fewer,” the congressman added. “Manufacturing is far from dead in this country — in fact, the industry in on the verge of a rebirth that will put Americans back to work, and we’re working hard to ensure that Connecticut leads the way.”

Senator Blumenthal observed that the results of this survey reinforce, in a concrete way, what manufacturers in Connecticut and across the country have been telling him over and over: that they need the tools and certainty to hire qualified workers and make long-term planning decisions in order to remain competitive on a global scale.

“Helping our manufacturers obtain these tools and secure contracts that will halt sending jobs and American dollars overseas is crucial to our economic recovery and an improved business environment for the state of Connecticut,” Senator Blumenthal. “I thank Congressman Murphy for his commitment to this issue as well as his passion for ‘Made in America’ initiatives that are so vital to job creation and overall economic growth. I look forward to continuing to fight for measures that support the manufacturing industry in Connecticut and across the country.”

Since 2001, more than 42,000 factories have closed and five million jobs have been lost in manufacturing nationally. In the same period, Connecticut lost tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs.

Total manufacturing employment in Connecticut continues to decline, from 171,000 in 2000 to 166,000 in 2010. Despite that, many of those who responded to this survey are confident that in the coming year their employees’ salaries will increase, gross revenues will increase, and they will hire new workers.

This survey shows that:

*Manufacturers are confident in the health of their businesses and are looking optimistically toward the future.

*The federal government has to do a better job of communicating with manufacturers and creating an environment where Connecticut businesses can thrive, which includes tax reform, bringing down the cost of health care, and smart regulatory reform.

*There is a growing demand for skilled workers and manufacturers are having trouble filling those vacancies. Manufacturers demand we do a better job in training students for the manufacturing jobs of the future.

*Contracting with the federal government is an important part of Connecticut’s manufacturing economy. More needs to be done to improve relationships between manufacturers and the government.

*Outsourcing has hurt Connecticut’s manufacturers. Manufacturers believe we need to strongly enforce existing statutes, such as “Buy American” that would bolster domestic manufacturers and halt off-shoring of manufacturing jobs.

*China’s growing influence on American manufacturers must be addressed.

Those with the skills to be a part of Connecticut’s manufacturing economy are in high demand.

Unlike most other Americans, these workers can expect to see higher wages in the coming year according to 53 percent of the respondents who said they plan to increase wages. Only 8 percent said that they expect wages to decrease. At the same time, 89 percent say they plan on hiring or maintaining their current workforce for the rest of the year, hopefully signaling that the precipitous decline of Connecticut’s manufacturing sector may be stabilizing.

Survey Respondents encompassed 151 manufacturers, making up a broad cross section of the manufacturing community. In all, 18 presidents and CEOs, seven business owners and eight vice presidents as well as a multitude of other executives and leaders in the manufacturing community answered this survey.

The businesses they represent are located all over the state, mostly in central Connecticut in the Connecticut River Valley and the I-91 Corridor