The Manufacturing Work Week is Longest Ever

In the United States, the length of the manufacturing work week often indicates the strength of the industry. According to recent reports, manufacturers are seeing the longest work weeks in more than forty years. Whether you're a manufacturing engineer or a company executive, paying attention to working standards can alert you to crucial shifts in the industry.

 For professionals in the manufacturing industry, the years since the 2008 economic crash have been challenging. Since the recession ended in 2009, the industry has slowly been gaining strength. Competition for all industry jobs, including manufacturing engineers and production workers, has remained high.

The industry is expected to pick up in 2014, however, and manufacturers are reassured by recent news of long work weeks. According to a story from DailyFinance, people in production and manufacturing engineer positions are working longer weeks than they have at any point in recent history. In fact, the last time workers spent so much time at work was during World War II, when factories were running overtime to provide supplies for the front lines.

The fact that manufacturing workers are working long weeks indicates that demand has risen since the last round of hiring. If you are a manufacturing engineer or a production worker searching for a job, the long work weeks are a positive indicator of things to come. Assuming that the demand in the industry continues to rise as it has for the past several years, companies are likely to need additional employees to fill orders, which will result in a hiring increase. Rather than pay current employees overtime, companies are likely to hire additional workers—assuming, of course, that growth continues as expected.

The news about the increased manufacturing demand comes on the heels of other positive developments. The Institute for Supply Management's (ISM) index of manufacturing activity came in at 57 in December, which was slightly lower than November's 57.3 but considerably higher than most months since April 2011. Because any reading of 50 or greater on the ISM index indicates growth, the manufacturing industry appears to be gaining strength.

For out-of-work manufacturing engineers, other signs indicate that the industry is posed for significant expansion. Increased consumer spending has led to higher manufacturing demand. Factory activity is high, home construction rates are up, and new factory orders have grown. Those factors, combined with better economic conditions, are setting the stage for long-term, sustainable growth in 2014 and beyond.

If you've been struggling to find work as a manufacturing engineer in recent years, 2014 may be a year of positive change. Longer work weeks suggest that manufacturing companies are reaching the top of their production capabilities, which indicates that a boost in hiring is on the horizon.

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