Don't Count Yourself Out of the Manufacturing Job Market

Want a job that pays well for doing something that you’re passionate about? Take a second look at the manufacturing job market. Many job seekers don't know about the opportunities in manufacturing because people often consider the manufacturing job market to operate overseas. But the eastern Ontario region continues to prove that manufacturing has a home here.

With some job seekers still in recovery mode from the last recession in 2008 and with new stressors like the global pandemic, many job seekers who have had to leave the workforce do not know about the opportunities and growth in the manufacturing sector.

If this sounds like you or someone you know, consider how a job in manufacturing can help get your career back on track. Read on to learn about the people looking for jobs or looking to upskill to better jobs right now, and bust myths about working in manufacturing.

A Bloomberg article notes that since 2008 millennial men tend to be missing from the job market. More recently because of the pandemic, 20, 600 Canadian women left the workforce. Meanwhile, manufacturing represents opportunity for all job seekers.

Among men aged 25 to 34, some cite disability or continuing education for their lack of current employment. Others cite an unwillingness to work a job they hate for minimum wage. The trend began during the 2007-2009 recession, when the employment rate for men 25 to 34 fell behind that of the slightly older generation. And though the general rates of employment have been steadily recovering since the end of that recession, many of these young men have not recovered.

“Millennial males remain less likely to hold down a job than the generation before them, even as women their age work at higher rates.” -- Bloomberg

A report published by RBC shows that in 2020 paid a heavy price for the pandemic recession because:

women were more likely to occupy jobs in sectors that have been slower to recover and are at higher risk of second, third, and fourth wave lockdowns;
women's ability to work from home is often hampered by the nature of their jobs; and
the pandemic has placed more family-care responsibilities squarely on women's shoulders.

All of these factors keep many people out of our workforce. But with active growth and recovery in place, there are more opportunities than ever for folks who've left the workforce, to re-enter it through the manufacturing sector.

Busting Common Myths of the Manufacturing Job Market

The manufacturing sector has to deal with a lot of incorrect information and assumptions about the types of jobs provided to communities. These myths can lead to eligible job seekers writing off manufacturing job market as an option. So let’s debunk some of those myths.

Debunking 3 Common Myths of the Manufacturing Job Market

1. MYTH: The manufacturing jobs are the jobs no one wants. The few good ones that exist are impossible to get.

TRUTH: There are many good jobs in the manufacturing job market, including right here in eastern Ontario. A quick Worxica search for Kingston, ON in manufacturing finds jobs available right now in the following categories:

38 postings for construction millwrights and industrial mechanics
57 job postings for supply chain supervisors
14 job postings for manufacturing managers

2. MYTH: In manufacturing jobs, you slog through long, boring, pointless hours for minimal pay.

TRUTH: Today’s job opportunities in the manufacturing job market are high tech and high stakes. The work that every single manufacturing employee does keeps our country thriving.

The manufacturing industry is a major driver of the Canadian economy
Manufacturing makes up +5% of Canadian GDP
Manufacturing in eastern Ontario employs 65K people

3. MYTH: It is very difficult to qualify for manufacturing jobs.

TRUTH: There are great training programs available that are local and affordable, like Elevate PLUS: a FREE 6-week program that combines classroom and on-site work placement to provide training and hands-on experience to adults for jobs in the manufacturing and food processing industry. There are skills development programs available to job seekers in the eastern Ontario region (contact the Ontario East Economic Development Commission to learn about these programs). The EOCC can help job seekers find training and work in areas like construction, leadership, and project management.