Did you know more than 11% of the private sector workforce in Cape Girardeau County is employed in the field of manufacturing?
Almost 4,000 people work in more than 180 manufacturing facilities in our county. The average weekly wage for these jobs was a little more than $1,000 in 2017 accounting for more than 203 million dollars ($203,000,000) in payroll. That’s a lot of buying power and a significant piece of our local economy.
The types of products manufactured locally may surprise many of you. Of course we all know about the diapers, toilet paper, paper towel, and Portland cement. But did you also know Cape County is home to corrugated boxes, plastic flexible packaging, electrical enclosures, closet organizers, professional performance grade music cables, fertilizer sticks, IV bag contents, restaurant grade BBQ pits, rubber carpet backing, mulch, shower enclosures, and railroad car parts? And I’ve only scratched the surface.
The diversity of our economy is what keeps us strong and our manufacturers play a key role. We are fortunate to have many different kinds of manufacturers AND many different industry sectors in Cape County.
However, several local manufacturers are facing a challenge. They have open positions they are struggling to fill. As we’ve talked before, workforce is a challenge throughout the country, and the Cape area is no different. I urge you to take some time to learn about the various manufacturers we have locally and become informed on local opportunities.
