The advanced manufacturing sector is comprised of employers engaged in the mechanical, physical, or chemical transformation of materials, substances, or components into new products. Today’s manufacturing occupations are clean and modern, controlled with high technology, automation and robots. Manufacturing offers excellent process improvement strategies to compete globally and help lead the country out of its economic downturn, employing a highly skilled, highly motivated workforce. Whether your interests lie in improving the layout and efficiency of a company through industrial engineering or designing custom tools that enable a company to produce its product through a career as a tool and die maker, the manufacturing sector has the career for a lifetime.
Over the past 10 years, much of the advanced manufacturing growth in the Greater New Orleans has been fueled by process and productivity improvement, often coupled with the introduction of new career pathways. As a result, employers do not always need more workers to meet increasing demand, but they do require a more skilled workforce. Low-skill production jobs were often either moved offshore or were replaced through automation. Newly installed capital equipment requires more capable operators and skilled technicians to maintain the equipment.
There are many occupations within the manufacturing industry that require higher levels of education; however, there are also many that only require a high school diploma or equivalent. Most occupations in the manufacturing industry require employees to participate in continuous on-the-job training (OJT).
At a Glance
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EMPLOYS 9,585 IN THE GREATER NEW ORLEANS REGION
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405 HIGH-SKILLED JOBS OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS
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2.6% ANNUAL TURNOVER RATE
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1,894 MIDDLE-SKILL JOB OPENINGS OVER THE NEXT DECADE WITH AN AVERAGE MEDIAN SALARY OF $41,808
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$84,198 AVERAGE MEDIAN HIGH-SKILL SALARY IN THIS INDUSTRY
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69% OF MANUFACTURING JOBS REQUIRE MIDDLE-SKILLS
Distribution of Skills
The advanced manufacturing sector, which includes technical skilled professionals (such as welding and carpentry) alongside analytical expertise (such as engineering and drafting) as a whole requires more middle- and high-skilled workers than other sectors in the overall GNO economy.
What are middle- and high-skill jobs?
We define middle-skill jobs as those that generally require some education and training beyond
high school but less than a Bachelor’s degree. These postsecondary education and training requirements can include Associate’s degrees, vocational certificates, on-the-job training, previous work experience, or generally some college but less than a Bachelor’s degree. High-skill jobs require a Bachelor’s degree or higher.
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$20.10: Average Median Hourly Salary for Middle-Skill Advanced Manufacturing Professions in the Greater New Orleans Region
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$40.48: Average Median Hourly Salary for High-Skill Advanced Manufacturing Professions in the Greater New Orleans Region
Advanced Manufacturing Top High-Skill Jobs
Description | Employed in Industry Group (2018) | Change (2018 - 2028) | % of Total Jobs in Industry Group (2018) | Median Hourly Earnings | Typical Entry Level Education |
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Industrial Engineers | 162 | 20 | 1.0% | $48.57 | Bachelor's degree |
General and Operations Managers | 289 | 19 | 1.8% | $42.42 | Bachelor's degree |
Mechanical Engineers | 126 | 14 | 0.8% | $41.65 | Bachelor's degree |
Industrial Production Managers | 159 | 10 | 1.0% | $36.68 | Bachelor's degree |
Financial Managers | 49 | 9 | 0.3% | $43.59 | Bachelor's degree |
Advanced Manufacturing Top Middle-Skill Jobs
Description | Employed in Industry Group (2018) | Change (2018 - 2028) | % of Total Jobs in Industry Group (2018) | Median Hourly Earnings | Typical Entry Level Education |
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Industrial Machinery Mechanics | 336 | 45 | 2.1% | $22.69 | High school diploma or equivalent |
Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders | 360 | 33 | 2.2% | $13.41 | High school diploma or equivalent |
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | 524 | 32 | 3.3% | $23.81 | High school diploma or equivalent |
Food Batchmakers | 205 | 28 | 1.3% | $12.69 | High school diploma or equivalent |
First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers | 738 | 25 | 4.6% | $28.94 | High school diploma or equivalent |
Maintenance Workers, Machinery | 226 | 23 | 1.4% | $24.80 | High school diploma or equivalent |
Production Workers, All Other | 458 | 22 | 2.9% | $17.33 | High school diploma or equivalent |
Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 141 | 19 | 0.9% | $20.75 | High school diploma or equivalent |
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 382 | 18 | 2.4% | $17.29 | High school diploma or equivalent |
Helpers--Production Workers | 268 | 17 | 1.7% | $13.28 | High school diploma or equivalent |