Missing out on millions: manufacturing plants badly need workers

Some manufacturers in Northeast Wisconsin report missing out on millions of dollars because they can’t find enough labor to meet demand. Experts say that has a negative impact on the local economy as these businesses continue to try to grow.

Wisconsin’s unemployment rate is good — a low 4.4 percent rate. “”In Northeast Wisconsin right now, we have a very diverse, robust economy that is anchored in manufacturing,” said James M. Golembeski, Executive Director for the Bay Area Workforce Development Board.

At the Georgia Pacific plant on Lombardi Avenue, 20 full-time positions are waiting to be filled.

Their problem is not an uncommon one, as most manufacturers in Northeast Wisconsin report lacking the help they need to fill their growing orders.

“We have about 850 hourly employees, but we lose about 100 people to retirement, mostly through retirement, every year,” said Mike Kawleski of Georgia-Pacific. “So you’re turning over your workforce quite a bit.”

“Baby boom population– which is a large demographic—is starting to get into their 60s, and they’re walking out of the workforce,” agreed Golembeski.

Despite what political candidates say in debates— the U.S. has been bringing American factories back to U.S. soil for the past four years—a system called “reshoring.”

“The middle class over in China and India and Southeast Asia is starting to assert itself over there,” explained Golembeski, “and demand higher wages and better benefits.”

He says unless the economy tanks, manufacturers are likely to continue to struggle to meet production demands.

Plants like Georgia-Pacific are moving forward by pursuing students at technical colleges, high schools, even elementary schools to increase interest in manufacturing jobs—ones that can pay as much as $60k right out of a two-year program at NWTC, according to Kawleski.

“There’s much more discussion about how do we skill up kids and let them know about the opportunities in manufacturing,” he said.

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