Wilmington is not on curve with the national rise in manufacturing jobs.
The Wilmington Chamber of Commerce made that observation Friday after reading Forbes’ 2014 list of “Best Cities for Manufacturing Jobs,” which ranked the Port City 292nd out of 357 cities.
“In the ‘Small Cities’ category, Wilmington’s ranking is a paltry 157 out of 199,” a chamber release noted.
Greenville, Rocky Mount and the Hickory-Lenior-Morganton area all outranked Wilmington, which fell 12 slots on the “Small Cities” list since last year.
The chamber said Wilmington lost nearly 3 percent of its manufacturing jobs, that sector now accounting for just more than 7 percent of employment here.
“From 2002 to 2012, New Hanover County lost nearly 2,000 manufacturing jobs, which accounted for 26 percent of our manufacturing base,” said Connie Majure-Rhett, the chamber’s president and CEO.
“This is a troublesome trend because it’s important that we have a diverse economy and jobs for everyone, whether you have a GED or a PhD,” she said.
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Her office noted a recent report commissioned by the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners on the direction this area should go in terms of business and employment.
“Pathways to Prosperity,” a report produced by Atlanta-based firm Garner Economics, said this area should target the industries of life/marine sciences research and development; “high value office operations”; precision manufacturing; and aircraft assembly, modification and maintenance–each of which pay above-average wages and are projected for growth.
During a panel talk arranged by the Cape Fear Economic Development Council in April, officials invited to speak said part of the issue with attracting manufacturing or other industry may be in the lack of industrial sites already set up for water and sewer service.
Panelists: Vacant sites need infrastructure to attract business
Majure-Rhett noted the county’s special-use permit (SUP) process–which affects heavier, industrial operations–is also highlighted in the report, which had advised doing away with it altogether or revising the process to make it more business friendly and not as much a restriction.
“The current SUP process was put in place in 2011, so it did not cause these manufacturing job losses,” Majure-Rhett said. “But without revisions, the current SUP process will make it more difficult to replace the jobs that were lost.”
Recent story: Split votes result in no decisions on special-use permit
The Forbes list is annual and this year featured Houston, Texas, at the top with a 10-year manufacturing-jobs growth of 21 percent and a 1-year growth of nearly 2 percent.
Related reading:
Economic forum eyes ‘diverse local economy’
GE expansion adds jobs to Wilmington, strengthens area’s aviation muscle
Two area industrial sites chosen for assessment, national marketing
Business officials repeat demand for quicker regulatory processes during commerce secretary’s visit
City discusses accommodations for craft brewing industry
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