- Jackson County faces 600-800 manufacturing job vacancies across 260 companies
- Economic pressures and tariff concerns are slowing production at local factories
- Industry leaders are working to attract younger workers as baby boomers retire
Manufacturing companies in Jackson County are navigating through economic headwinds while simultaneously dealing with a significant workforce shortage that threatens the industry's stability in the region.
"It provides so many jobs, so many thousands of jobs, and it's really important that we keep the health of the manufacturers doing well, and make sure that we supply them with the right amount of workforce," said Amanda Hutchings, president of Peak Manufacturing.
Hutchings, who is actively involved in several industry groups, points to emerging economic pressures affecting local businesses.
"We're at a point right now where we're starting to see a little bit of pushback from our customers on tariffs. So that is something that is affecting our company," Hutchings said.
The slowdown is being felt on the production floor as well. Bobby Brewster, an employee at Peak Manufacturing, described the current situation.
"Everything's slowed down. They don't always have material for whatever's going on. You know, right now it's a little tight," Brewster said.
"It's the tightest it's ever been in the 10 years that I've been here," he added.
Beyond immediate economic concerns, manufacturers across Jackson County are struggling to fill open positions, creating a long-term challenge for the industry.
"I sit in countless meetings and I hear from manufacturers all over Jackson about how there are not enough for the open positions that there are. And a lot of it is, you know, the baby boomers are retiring now," Hutchings said.
The manufacturing sector is working to attract new talent to replace retiring workers.
"And that next generation, you know, we have to get them excited and get them interested in manufacturing. And we've got to have programs available. We have to have a pipeline available in Jackson," Hutchings said.
Katie Bertke of Michigan Works Southeast, who collaborates with manufacturers throughout the county, highlighted the scale of the workforce gap.
"We have about 260 manufacturers in Jackson County and roughly 600 to 800 openings on average. And so we do a huge push for career exploration," Bertke said.
Despite the current challenges, Hutchings remains optimistic about the future of manufacturing in Jackson County.
"It's just kind of painful to get through this, and uh, we will," she said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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