Association Places Pro-Manufacturing Ad in Erie Times-News
For Immediate Release: April 23, 2008
Contact: Tammy Polanski at 814/833-3200
Highlights Important Role Manufacturing Plays in Erie County
ERIE – The Manufacturers’ Association today issued a statement regarding a full-page advertisement placed in this morning’s edition of the Erie Times-News. The ad, placed by the Association, cites specific statistics focusing on the impact manufacturing has on Erie County related to exports, employment and economic growth.
“There truly is a misperception about manufacturing; that it is a dying economy,” said Association President Ralph Pontillo. “The facts speak volumes about the importance of manufacturing in Erie. From the number of people employed by manufacturing companies to the remarkable $1.1 billion total annual payroll for those jobs, manufacturers truly are the backbone of this economy.”
Pontillo also noted that manufacturers surely face an uphill battle in this new economy. “The fact that these companies continue to survive despite the skills gap, unfair global trade and onerous domestic structural costs is truly astonishing,” he said. “It is a remarkable testament to their achievements that they can survive in the most adverse of times.”
According to statistics from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry and the U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration:
- 24,844 people work in manufacturing in Erie County;
- 27 percent of the total payroll countywide stems from manufacturing jobs; and
- $1.2 billion worth of goods are exported by Erie County manufacturers annually.
A copy of the statistics with related sources is attached.
Manufacturers continue to be the major economic force in Erie County.
Nothing rusty about these numbers… Erie’s old new economy!
Single largest employer industry in Erie County.
http://www.paworkstats.state.pa.us/reports/erie_cp.pdf
529 manufacturing companies are located in Erie County.
http://www.paworkstats.state.pa.us/reports/erie_cp.pdf
24,844 people are working in manufacturing in Erie County.
http://www.paworkstats.state.pa.us/reports/erie_cp.pdf
$1.1 billion is the total annual payroll for manufacturing jobs in Erie County, or 27 percent of the total payroll countywide.
http://www.paworkstats.state.pa.us/reports/erie_cp.pdf
$1.2 billion worth of goods are exported by Erie County manufacturers annually.
http://ita.doc.gov/td/industry/otea/metro/Reports/2006/mv_metro.html