FRANKLIN COUNTY >> Manufacturing jobs continued to decline both nationally and locally.

The Pennsylvania State Data Center at Penn State Harrisburg released a research brief last week based on new U.S. Census data which shows continued declines in both the number of manufacturers and the number of employees over the last 15 years.

In Franklin County, about one in six jobs is in manufacturing — a sector that provides more than $400 million in payroll annually.

Employment has ebbed and flowed with economic waves but, like the manufacturing sector statewide and nationwide, it has been steadily declining for years.

“I think locally, long-term we still look strong, but I think you will not see employment increasing,” said L. Michael Ross, president of Franklin County Area Development Corp.

He said that’s because manufacturing is going through the same transformation that agriculture went through at the turn of the last century.

In the late 1800s, everyone worked on the family farm, but as technology improved, fewer workers were needed on the farm.

“In manufacturing you see the same thing,” Ross said. “As technology has engulfed the manufacturing world, you’re starting to see production that might have required five or six people now done with one person. The job skills for those folks are increasing as well.”

As the skills increase, a challenge becomes filling these positions.

“Companies aren’t hiring at the same rate as 10 years ago or five years ago, and I would say automation certainly plays a role,” said Tom Palisin, executive director of the York-based Manufacturers’ Association. “But I would also say companies are having trouble finding workers. There’s certainly a lot of manufacturers hiring in these high skill areas who come to us looking for help filling these positions.”

This has led some companies like BWise Manufacturing in Chambersburg to take a more active approach to training workers for skilled positions.

“We’ve had a couple guys that came to us and we’ve trained them to become welders. That’s worked out well,” said President Brian Wise. “We’re going to need more training for skilled positions. There’s only ‘x’ number of welders out there and a lot are going to be retiring. That’s a challenge. I know at the Career Center they understand that everyone’s trying to get kids excited about those types of jobs because it’s not uncommon for welders to make a bit more than people coming out of college with degrees.”

As baby boomers retire and leave the work force, there have been concerns that there will be enough young workers to fill their shoes. Employers, educators, and other groups have been looking for ways to market manufacturing jobs to younger people.

Franklin County also faces a unique challenge that other parts of the country do not. The area has been a magnet for distribution centers, which draw employees from the same work force as manufacturers.

“I do think that one thing that has hurt manufacturing in Franklin County has been the influx of distribution jobs,” Wise said. “If you look at 20 years ago, the manufacturing base as far as a pool of employees was much stronger. I think we have less of a labor pool to pull from. That’s a challenge.”

Manufacturers, schools and other groups are looking for ways to bolster the pipeline of younger workers.

Ross said the Franklin County Career and Technology Center has revamped its programming and is making a significant impact on the work force. The Southcentral Workforce Investment Board is looking to apply for an apprenticeship grant through the American Apprenticeship Initiative.

Palisin said Manufacturers’ Association members are more confident than a year ago and have indicated that the industry is on the rebound.

His group is also keeping a watch on “re-shoring,” which he said “is a trend, but it’s not moving the needle.”

“Fifteen years ago, there was a strong movement to move a lot of manufacturing offshore, although I think we’ll see that trend reverse itself and more manufacturing come back,” Ross said. “The quality seems to be better, there’s greater political stability, and our energy costs have come down substantially. I think there’s a lot of optimism in terms of the future of manufacturing in the U.S.”

Marcus Rauhut can be reached at 262-4752.