The Bi-Weekly Newsletter of the Council of Industry
June 3, 2021
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Manufacturing Industry News |
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Hudson Valley Labor Stats–Mfg Employment Up 14.2% Year on Year |
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The New York State Department of Labor yesterday released preliminary local area unemployment rates for April 2021. In April 2021, there were 59,600 unemployed in the region, down from 67,100 in March 2021 and down from 167,100 in April 2020.Year-over-year in April 2021, labor force increased by 54,300 or 5.1 percent, to 1,116,400. In April 2021, there were 40,900 people working in manufacturing, up from 40,600 in March 2021 and up from 35,800 in April 2020.Year-over-year in April 2021, manufacturing labor force increased by 5,100 or 14.2%.
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Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) Now Open |
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The eleventh round of the CFA is now open with over $750 million in funding available through more than 30 state programs. Since 2011, the first year of the REDC initiative, the CFA has enabled businesses, municipalities, not-for-profits and members of the public to apply for multiple sources of funding from dozens of state agency programs through a single application, for projects that create jobs and help to revitalize communities.
RESOURCES
2021 guidelines and resources documents can be found on the MHREDC website including:
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For over 25 years, The Certificate in Manufacturing Leadership program has offered attendees a range of leadership skills through concentrations of courses. Participants who complete the required courses are presented with the Certificate in Manufacturing Leadership by the Council of Industry.
All courses are interactive half-day sessions (8:30 am to 12:30 pm) with scheduled breaks, networking, and group discussions. These courses are offered online and require participants to have a working webcam and audio.
Though participants are encouraged to complete the course series for the most comprehensive supervisory education, the Council welcomes individual course registration as well.
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APPRENTICE PROGRAM
Email
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For information on advertising in this and other CI publications
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9 out of 10 Companies Plan Hybrid-Working Models |
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Nine out of 10 companies plan to move to some form of hybrid-working model, but 68% don't yet have a detailed plan either in place or communicated, according to a McKinsey report. The research found that companies experiencing higher productivity during the pandemic amid remote working had increased the number of "microtransactions" between colleagues, enabling workers to share small moments of connection.
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Positive Marijuana Tests Are Up Among U.S. Workers |
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The proportion of U.S. workers who tested positive for marijuana in urine climbed higher in 2020 while the overall share of positive drug tests plateaued last year, according to Quest Diagnostics Inc., DGX-0.02% one of the largest drug-testing laboratories in the U.S. About 2.7% of the approximately seven million drug tests Quest conducted on behalf of employers came back positive for marijuana—up from 2.5% in 2019 and 2% in 2016. Overall, the percentage of working Americans testing positive for any drug was 4.4%, little changed from 2019, when the rate of positive urine-based drug tests hit its highest level in 16 years. Though federal and state data indicate drug overdoses and abuse have risen during the pandemic, Quest officials say that isn’t captured in their data because many overdose victims likely weren’t subject to workplace drug testing last year.
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Labor Shortage Will Push Wages Higher, According To Bank Of America |
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Employers are desperate to staff up quickly to meet surging consumer demand, but some workers have been slow to return for a number of reasons including virus concerns, childcare constraints, early retirement and more generous federal unemployment benefits, BofA senior U.S. economist Joseph Song wrote in a Friday research note. According to Song’s analysis, wage growth will be stronger in sectors that were hit hardest by the pandemic—including construction, real estate and hotels and food service.It’s already clear some workers are holding out for higher pay before they reenter the workforce: The average self-reported reservation wage—the lowest wage a worker says they will accept to start a new job—has grown 21% since the fall for people earning less than $60,000 per year, according to data from the New York Fed.
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People from “Generation Z” (those born after 1995) have very high expectations of their employers’ values—Most eye catchingly, a study from HeForShe shows a paltry 19% of Gen Z workers would join a company that they don’t feel shares their values. And two thirds of the survey’s 2,600 respondents from around the world said company values were more important than the firm’s leadership.
Which values? Gender and racial diversity top the list. Just over two-fifths of the respondents said they would join a company that lacks the requisite diversity, but only if it had a strong diversity, equity and inclusion program in place, to try to improve. The same proportion said CEOs should be judged by their commitment to solving social issues.
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Look for Unique Qualities in Unconventional Candidates |
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Recruit more unconventional job candidates by focusing on people's potential more than their credentials and looking for qualities that stand out, write Gusto's Debbie Ferguson and Fredrick "Flee" Lee. "Recruiting non-traditional hires sometimes involves convincing someone they can flourish in a role they can't yet imagine," they write.
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Raimondo: U.S. Chip Funding Could Result in as Many as 10 New Factories |
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U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on Monday a proposed $52 billion boost in U.S.government funding for semiconductor production and research could result in 7 to ten new U.S. factories. Raimondo said at an event outside a Micron Technology Inc (MU.O) chip factory that she anticipated the government funding would generate “$150 billion-plus” in investment in chip production and research–including contributions from state and federal governments and private-sector firms.
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Amazon Changes Employee Policies for Time Off, Marijuana |
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Amazon announced Tuesday it supports the federal legalization of marijuana, and that the company is revising a controversial workplace policy critics say has been used to keep employees working at a breakneck pace.
The twin announcements, Amazon said, are aimed at reiterating the company's commitment to being an attractive employer. Positions subject to regulation by the US Department of Transportation will still include the marijuana test, Clark said, adding that the company will "continue to do impairment checks on the job and will test for all drugs and alcohol after any incident."
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What's Happening in Your Association |
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Please Note: Council of Industry Address Change |
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The Council of Industry office is located at 263 Route 17K, Suite 106, Newburgh, NY 12550. Please ensure all mail is addressed to this location. |
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Economic and Legislative Updates Impacting The Council of Industry Members |
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When: Thursday, June, 17, 2021
8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Where: Zoom Webinar
Cost: Free for Members
From the Hill: Economic and Legislative Updates Impacting The Council of Industry Members
As the U.S. economy begins to reopen, businesses and manufacturers are looking for ways to accelerate recovery. The latest relief package has greatly expanded cash funds available to business owners, but there is a lot of misinformation surrounding its provisions. Join former Senior Counsel to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee and alliantgroup National Managing Director, Dean Zerbe, as he shares exclusive insight on the latest relief package, the credits and incentives you need to know about, and what impact the new White House will have on legislative and tax policy for 2021, 2022 and beyond.
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Top 10 OSHA Violations for General Industry |
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When: Wednesday, June 23, 2021
8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Where: Zoom Webinar
Cost: Free for Members
Top 10 OSHA Violations for General Industry
This session will educate the participant on the Top 10 OSHA – “General Industry” violations from the year 2019-20 with an in-depth look on how to comply to these specific safety requirements. Year after year this top ten violations appear relatively unchanged.
Topics include:
- OSHA/ANSI/NFPA Standard reference understanding
- OSHA Interpretation letters and CLP
- Industry Best Practices
- QA/QC Member Forum
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The Manufacturing Matters Podcast |
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Manufacturing Matters Podcast: Shawn George, Manager Operations/Quality Assurance, Universal Thin Film
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In this episode, Harold King speaks with Shawn George about this growing business and important technology. Thin film coatings are used in a wide range of applications for many purposes.They can be used to protect displays from scratches or environmental exposure, create a specific degree of reflectivity on a lens or build layers of metallization on semiconductor wafers.
Universal Thin Film has been in business for more than 30 years and Shawn is helping them expand into new industry sectors and further develop the technology.
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Be a Guest on the Podcast! |
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The Council of Industry extends thanks to all Manufacturing Matters guests and listeners for their support. With more than 40 episodes released, we've documented countless conversations with local manufacturers.
In 2021, we're looking to introduce new faces to the podcast. If you or someone you know is involved in the Hudson Valley manufacturing sector and would like to be a guest on Manufacturing Matters, please contact Johnnieanne Hansen at jhansen@councilofindustry.org.
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