Giving Manufacturers a Helping Hand
New Jersey’s manufacturing industry has been on a roller coaster ride lately, with stomach-churning ups and downs stemming from favorable tax incentives under the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) on the one hand, and the negative impacts from the Trump administration’s foreign trade tariffs on the other … not to mention a war in the Middle East that, at press time, is affecting oil markets.
Then, there is the workforce issue: While there are plenty of good-paying manufacturing jobs in the state (some 40,000 openings), the industry can’t find enough people to fill them.
Partnerships
In the face of all of this, there is one constant that is helping manufacturers in the state; the public – and private-sector partnerships that are working to attract and expand the industry here. From the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program (NJMEP) and the New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA) to the New Jersey Community College Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development and the New Jersey Legislative Manufacturing Caucus, among other entities, there is a concerted effort to maintain and grow a vibrant manufacturing sector.
“Manufacturing was born and bred on the East Coast, particularly in New Jersey. The Trenton Lower Bridge sign that reads ‘Trenton Makes, The World Takes’ still means something significant,” says NJBIA President and CEO Michele Siekerka, who is also chair of the national Conference of State Manufacturers Associations (COSMA) and sits on the Board of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM).
While Siekerka says New Jersey has the highest-skilled workforce, with more PhDs and scientists per square mile than anywhere in the world, she also says career pathways to the manufacturing jobs of today must be redefined because advanced technologies are altering the manufacturing shop floor.
To help people find high-paying manufacturing jobs, where the average salary is $97,000 a year, NJBIA has teamed up with the New Jersey Community College Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development (Consortium) for the creation of the NJ Pathways to Career Opportunities program. The initiative recognizes vertical in-demand industries, including manufacturing, that create pathways for workers via stackable credentials, including college credits and real-life work experiences, so that a person can go from an entry level job [in manufacturing for example] to a thriving career in the field, Siekerka explains.