Manufacturing Jobs Pittsburgh

If you're wondering what kind of manufacturing jobs Pittsburgh has to offer, you may want to check out the city and state's advanced materials and diversified manufacturing cluster.

Statewide, that cluster includes most durable goods manufacturing sectors and several non-durable goods sectors. The cluster does not include food production, tobacco, lumber, paper, pharmaceuticals or manufacturers that produce materials for the building industries.

The top five sectors, which account for 15.4 percent of employment in the cluster, include: all other plastics product manufacturing; commercial lithographic printing; iron and steel mills; machine shops; and railroad rolling stock manufacturing.

The top five employing occupations, which account for 17.4 percent of the cluster, include:

1. Team assemblers - paying an average $25,120 per year
2. Supervisors and production workers - paying an average $44,280 per year
3. Machinists - paying an average $32,150 per year
4. All other production workers - paying an average $24,730 per year
5. Electrical and electronic equipment assemblers - paying an average $25,360 per year

When it comes to the makeup of the cluster, small businesses account for 83 percent of employer units and 23 percent of jobs, while medium businesses account for 16 percent of employer units and 54 percent of jobs and large businesses account for 1 percent of employer units and 23 percent of jobs.

According to an article by the Center for Workforce Information & Analysis, technological advances have changed the nature of the manufacturing industry throughout the nation. For instance, metal and plastics production are increasingly automated, while there has been an increased demand for powdered metals and chemicals.

While the growth and advancement of technology have resulted in the loss of employment for occupations requiring hands-on or manual work, demand for high-skilled workers has continued to increase.

"In order for Pennsylvania to maintain its manufacturing advantage, its workforce development system must provide programs that enable workers to shift into technology-driven manufacturing jobs and enable employers to increase productivity," the article notes.

"Despite a steady decline in manufacturing employment, the advanced materials and diversified manufacturing cluster still provides nearly half a million jobs with average annual wages 20 percent above the statewide average," the article adds.

As a whole, Pittsburgh's manufacturing industry employed 87,500 workers during November 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 87,700 workers during October and a 10.3 percent decrease from November 2008.