Commentary: Opioid Abuse Part of Perfect Storm in Manufacturing
Just as American manufacturing seems to be hitting its stride, the sector now faces a perfect storm when it comes to finding and developing the workforce of the future:
- Baby boomers are retiring from all sectors at a rate of 10,000 a day in the United States, taking their institutional and technical knowledge with them.
- The number of American youth with sufficient STEM education for a shop floor or R&D department is inadequate—and those who do have these skills often favor the tech sector.
- In recent years, the opioid crisis has reached critical levels, and a new report by the MAPI Foundation shows an ominous geographic overlap between U.S. manufacturing regions and opioid abuse.
Each of these challenges deserves attention, but in this issue of Shortliner, we look at the opioid crisis and its geographical overlap with the manufacturing sector.
A White House economic report observes that opioid abuse has already reached crisis proportions nationwide, with the nation spending 2.8 percent of its GDP to manage this serious health challenge. And a recent Brookings Institute study found that nearly half of prime working age men not in the labor force are taking daily doses of prescription pain medications.
Between 2011 and 2016, an average of 44 percent more manufacturing-centric counties per year joined the list of counties with the highest rates of opioid overdose deaths. By the end of 2016, 70 counties that rely the most on manufacturing employment, located across 20 states, were grappling with deadly addiction.
Another 201 counties that have the highest share of manufacturing employment are seeing higher than the national median of drug overdose deaths as well. Put another way, 40 percent of the country’s manufacturing-centric counties are experiencing the worst of the drug crisis.
If the manufacturing sector hopes to sustain its growth in the coming decade, the opioid crisis is among challenges that must be addressed.
Source: Industry Week