LIFT releases annual state reports on employment trends in lightweighting-related jobs

LIFT: Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow has released its annual reports by state, highlighting employment trends in advanced manufacturing jobs related to lightweighting through 2017.

Tennessee: Online job postings decreased throughout 2017, falling from 10,261 in Q1 to 8,053 in Q4. However, 2017 marks the seventh consecutive year of employment growth for lightweighting-related jobs in Tennessee. In 2010 just 346,000 workers were employed in lightweighting-related advanced manufacturing jobs, while in 2017 employment reached more than 425,000—about a 23 percent increase.

Kentucky: Online job ads generally decreased throughout 2017, falling from 7,413 in Q1 to 5,653 in Q4. After job ads hit more than 8,000 in Q3 2016, employer demand for workers with lightweighting-related skills has dropped in every quarter except Q2 to Q3 2017. In total, 26,647 lightweighting-related job postings were made in Kentucky in 2017. However, this is the eighth consecutive year of employment growth for lightweighting-related jobs in Kentucky since the depths of the Great Recession. In 2009 only 236,000 Kentucky workers were employed in lightweighting-related advanced manufacturing jobs, and in 2017 about 290,000 workers were employed. Despite falling posting levels, this is a 24 percent increase in employment.

Indiana: Job postings decreased in Q4, declining 19 percent from 12,424 postings in Q3 to 10,065 postings in Q4. However, employment continues to grow after hitting a recession-related low of 421,000 workers in 2009. There were 519,279 Indiana workers employed in advanced manufacturing jobs related to lightweighting in 2017, marking the eighth consecutive year of employment growth.

Ohio: Employer demand for jobs, gauged by online job postings, decreased by 3,411 ads between Q3 and Q4. The 16,235 ads posted during Q4 represent the lowest level of demand since 2013. Online postings have generally been declining since peaking at 30,929 ads in Q3 2015. However, 2017 marked the seventh consecutive year of employment growth for lightweighting-related jobs in Ohio since the depths of the Great Recession in 2010. In 2010 only 650,000 Ohio workers were employed in lightweighting- related advanced manufacturing jobs, and in 2017 employment reached more than 744,000.

Michigan: Online job ads declined by about 19 percent between Q3 and Q4, from 33,637 postings to 27,372. Compared to Q4 2016, postings have fallen by about 6 percent from 29,090 postings. Posting levels tend to fluctuate over the course of a year, with a spike in postings during Q1. Overall, employer demand for workers with lightweighting-related skills seems to be slowing in Michigan, but this is not reflected in the steady growth in employment. 2017 marked the eighth consecutive year of employment growth for lightweighting-related jobs in Michigan, since the Great Recession in 2009. In 2009 only 535,000 Michigan workers were employed in lightweighting-related advanced manufacturing jobs, and in 2017 employment reached nearly 700,000.

LIFT, operated by the American Lightweight Materials Manufacturing Innovation Institute (ALMMII), is a public-private partnership to develop and deploy advanced lightweight materials manufacturing technologies and implement education and training programs to prepare the workforce.

ALMMII is one of the founding institutes in the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation, a federal initiative to create regional hubs to accelerate the development and adoption of cutting-edge manufacturing technologies.