Lightweighting Job Postings Increase To Start 2015

By Edward Cardenas

SOUTHFIELD (CBS Detroit) - A new report finds that job postings in lightweighting-related occupations have increased by 50 percent since late 2014.

The a new market report from LIFT (Lightweight Innovations For Tomorrow) and WIN (Workforce Intelligence Network) found postings increased by 50 percent since November and December 2014.

"Job postings in lightweighting have grown in a positive trend since data started to be collected in 2010, establishing a clear demand for employment" said Emily Stover DeRocco, education and workforce director, LIFT, in a release. "Additionally, in every LIFT partner state, more than 60 percent of the lightweighting workforce is in a skilled trades job. These jobs are the backbone of new lightweight material products that allow us to build tomorrow's planes, trains and automobiles."

Lightweight materials are increasingly being utilized by suppliers in the automobile, aerospace, ground vehicles, shipping, rail and defense manufacturing industries. Utilizing these lighter materials, vehicles have improved performance and use less fuel, according to industry officials.

Lightweighting-related jobs employ nearly 648,000 individuals, in Michigan, which is a small drop of 1.9 percent drop from 2014's 660,081 jobs, according to the recent report. In the first two months of 2015, employers in Michigan posted more than 15,000 jobs related to lightweighting. This is up from 10,301 in November/December 2014.

The report also found 40 percent of the 15,000 postings advertised an annual salary of greater than $50,000. More than half of the postings required at least a bachelor's degree for employment.

The most in-demand lightweighting-related occupations in Michigan include:

• Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (4,108 job postings)
• Assembly and Operation (2,385 job postings)
• Skilled Materials Workers (2,229 job postings)
• Logistics Workers (1,818 job postings)
• Machinists (1,359 job postings)

"With nearly two-thirds in skilled trades of the 648,000 employed in lightweighting-related jobs in Michigan, this has become a top occupational cluster and a strong contributor to employment in the state," said Lisa Katz, Executive Director at WIN, in a release. "As demand continues to rise, it is imperative that our workforce meets educational requirements."