Prepare for more manufacturing job loss, expert warns

Manufacturers that survive in the future will replace workers with technology, meaning the long-term trend toward fewer workers is likely to continue, according to John Stafford, who directs the Community Research Institute at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.

Despite ongoing factory closings and layoffs, most manufacturing job loss is driven by technological advancements, Stafford told Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly. Manufacturers increasingly will rely on highly skilled employees to operate the technology and replace retiring baby-boomers, he said.