1. Taken alone, US Manufacturing would be the eighth largest economy in the world! This includes the US economy at number one! That’s right, manufacturing in the US is only out-sized by the entire economies of seven nations outside of the good ole          US of A! Curious about those other seven nations? Here’s how things stack up:
2. Only 20% of manufacturing jobs rely on low-skilled labor. The biggest issue facing the manufacturing community today is actually recruiting properly trained and educated workers! There are approximately 2 million unfilled mid and high-skilled manufacturing jobs currently available, so our challenge as a country is to educate our workforce to be able to fill these jobs! One of the hottest fields for future manufacturing job-seekers is data analysis. According to The State Of Manufacturing Technology (14 pp., opt-in) published by Plex Systems, 35% of manufacturers say that data analysis is the most important skill that manufacturers need, ranking above mechanical engineering!  
3. 9% of the US Workforce is directly employed by manufacturing. This doesn’t even include the additional 18.5 million jobs supported by the manufacturing industry. Basically, if you put 10 people in a room, at least two of them will be employed directly by manufacturing or purely because of manufacturing. Mind. Blown.
4. The average salary in manufacturing is higher than the overall median income in the United States. Yup, that is exactly what we’re saying-manufacturing pays MORE than most jobs. We love a little myth-busting at Profession Concession. We also love data, so don’t take our word for it, see for yourself. The chart below outlines the compensation in manufacturing with wages in green and benefits in yellow, which brings us to number 5…
5. Manufacturing provides benefits! If you are under the age of 26, you may not have had your first encounter with the #struggle that is the American insurance system. Well thank your lucky stars and start looking for a manufacturing job, because over 90% of manufacturing workers receive employer provided benefits. Translation, less money spent on insurance premiums and more money in your bank account each month. Yes please.

 

 

Sources:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/louiscolumbus/2015/05/12/the-state-of-manufacturing-technology-2015/#2bf444287a2c

https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/manufacturing-salary-SRCH_KO0,13.htm

http://www.nam.org/

http://www.themanufacturinginstitute.org/Research/Facts-About-Manufacturing/Workforce-and-Compensation/Wages-and-Compensation/Wages-and-Compensation.aspx

It’s that time of year. You know the time. Your co-worker is sneezing, your kids are wheezing and your boss is coughing…winter is h.e.r.e. Getting sick means that you will likely be forced to take time off from work to go to the doctor…or to stay home in bed all day throwing back the NyQuil. While we all may get sick once in awhile, we’re not doomed to spend our winter with a thermometer in our mouths. Today, Profession Concession is offering some quick tips for staying healthy all year round, so you can get off the couch and back to work!

1. Wash, wash, wash! Don’t coat yourself in hand-sanitizer or anything, but definitely wash your hands after the bathroom, shaking people’s hands, and other contact with others that might lead to germ spreading. Be sure to use warm water, soap and time yourself at around 30 seconds for maximum washing efficiency! Even after washing your hands, avoid touching your face throughout the day as that can keep the nasty germs away from your nose and mouth.

 

2. Eat well! Don’t live off of the vending machine snacks at work! Pack yourself some snackable fruits and veggies for during the work day. And try, try, try your best to pack a wholesome lunch as well. In one hour of prep on Saturday or Sunday, you can make a whole week of healthy lunches complete with all required food groups.  There are plenty of sites online that will guide you step by step through making lunch a healthful experience-from shopping lists to prep guides. For an example, check out this link! Some other benefits are that you will likely lose weight and save money because you won’t be eating out every day!

 

3. Get outside!Research shows that part of the reason we get ill more often in the winter is because our noses and mouths become dried out with the heating we experience in our homes, offices and cars. Getting outside in the fresh (and yes cold!) air can help to get our body more attuned to nature, which leads to a healthier life.

 

4. Exercise! Just as getting outside will help to boost your immune system, so will getting off the couch and into the gym. Don’t worry though, if you feel like you don’t have time for the gym, a simple twenty minute walk everyday will go a long way in improving your health. You might even find that your pants get a little looser after awhile….and we all like that, don’t we?

 

5. Catch some Zzz’s.This may seem obvious, and you can bet that if you end up sick, you’ll want to spend a few days conked out, but what if we told you that sleep is an important part of preventing illness? That’s right. You need to sleep 7-8 hours almost every night. To help yourself get in the bedtime-zone, stop using electronics an hour before bedtime and use soft lighting like lamps and candles to prevent over-stimulation. Hit the hay by 10:30 to avoid getting a second wind and shorting yourself on sleep!

 

6. STAY AWAY! Don’t worry, we still like you. BUT, if you do get sick, don’t come to work! If you must, please stay away from others, cover your mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing and use hand-sanitizer often. Encourage co-workers to do the same!