Manufacturing in Salem and Beyond

Today we bring you two interesting articles related to manufacturing.

The first comes to us from the Statesman Journal and covers the decline of manufacturing in the Salem metro area over the past few decades. In 2010, one out of every 10 jobs was in manufacturing, compared with one in four jobs back in the 1970s. Technological advancement and off-shoring have contributed to the loss of manufacturing jobs. The industry is projected to grow 15 percent between 2010 and 2020, though it will not return to the levels seen before the Great Recession by the end of the 10-year period. Read the full article for more information on the state of Salem-area manufacturing.

The next article paints a rosier picture for at least one type of manufacturing at the statewide level. The Portland Business Journal blog suggests that furniture manufacturing is on the rise, evidenced by the comeback story of Tualatin-based Stanton Furniture. The full post has more details.