PEORIA, Ill. — While manufacturing remains a bedrock of the Illinois economy, challenges certainly remain especially in the labor force.
“Before the pandemic started, we had 437,000 open manufacturing jobs nationally. Today, we’re at 850,000 open manufacturing jobs”, says Mark Denzler, President of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association.
Speaking on WMBD’s “The Greg and Dan Show”, Denzler lamented the fact so many schools have turned away from eudcation in the skilled-trades.
He says there also seems to be an innaccurate perception about what manufacturing jobs entail in the 21st Century.
“Too many people envision manufacturing as dark, dirty and dangerous, maybe what you thought about 30 or 40 years ago”, Denzler said. “Today’s manufacturing has virtual reality and there’s 5G and it’s automated and it’s clean.”
According to an annual IMA promotional campaign, Illinois manufacturers currently produce a range of more than 60 different kinds of products, from tractors to emergency and electronic equipment, electric vehicles and even juice boxes.
In particular, the IMA has viewed recent passage of the Illinois REV Act as good cause for optimism.
The new law boosts state government incentives for auto manufacturers, battery manufacturers, and other companies in the auto supply chain that focus on electric vehicles, components, and supplies.
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