Manufacturers offer ‘upskilling’ and seek ‘creators’ to fill over 800,000 jobs

U.S. manufacturers are on a hiring blitz for a $2.6 trillion industry in transformation. 

That's the message from Jay Timmons, president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers, which has over 800,000 jobs up for grabs. 

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"There’s hardly ever been more opportunities for future manufacturing workers. Innovators. Designers. Technicians. Creators," said Timmons in remarks, shared with FOX Business exclusively and which will be delivered later today in the NAM State of Manufacturing Address at Chandler-Gilbert Community College in Arizona. 

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Timmons, who is championing the "Creators Wanted" campaign, is on the hunt for "creators" for "well paying" jobs. In Arizona alone there are 11,000 new openings this year. 

Areas of expertise include robotics, 3D printing, artificial intelligence, smart factories, virtual reality and biotechnology.

He noted the metaverse, which is Meta, formerly Facebook's big strategy.

"Metaverse isn’t just a playground for Mark Zuckerberg. It’s also a place where manufacturing innovation will be possible" he said. 

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While many of these jobs lean toward specific tech skills, Timmons says workers will and can be trained. 

"To help workers advance in their careers, companies are investing in upskilling programs – so that people can keep improving their skills as technology advances throughout their careers," he added. 

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Timmons also highlighted the CHIPS Act, which he says will create a surge in domestic semiconductor manufacturing. This echoes President Biden's mention in his State of the Union address earlier this week in which he praised Intel's CEO for the company's commitment to build a new factory in Ohio, which is expected to create 10,000 jobs. 

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"Intel’s CEO, Pat Gelsinger, who is here tonight, told me they are ready to increase their investment from $20 billion to $100 billion," Biden said Tuesday evening. 

Intel, which is also rolling out about $50 billion to expand factories at the Ocotillo campus in Chandler, Arizona, is among the American businesses trying to reduce their dependence on foreign chip making, which is dominated by China and other regions of Asia. 

The industry currently employs 12.5 million workers and counting.

The Labor Department's February employment report will be released tomorrow. U.S, employers are expected to have created 438,000 jobs, slightly less than the 467,000 added in January. Manufacturers are expected to have added 23,000. 

The unemployment rate is seen ticking down to 3.9% from 4%.