Tanu Kumar

The New York Industrial State of Mind

The recent guerilla artwork of North Williamsburg’s “Save Domino” sign conjures up the original Domino’s Sugar sign - a symbol of Brooklyn’s once active and dominant industrial waterfront. While this sign serves as a nightly reminder of New York’s manufacturing past, it is imperative to shed light on the manufacturing present. The NYC manufacturing landscape is no longer dominated by old, brick factories and smokestacks, but is instead uniquely vibrant and innovative, though somewhat obscured. Today, 84% of local firms employ less than 25 workers, often in small, nondescript facilities. Yet, they maintain a critical role within the City’s small business community.

Nearly 230,000 New Yorkers work in blue collar, industrial jobs across the five boroughs. This total is larger than the employment numbers for both information and real estate, two of the more touted growth sectors in the City. As they have traditionally done, blue collar jobs continue to be good jobs and a passage into the middle class for historically underserved communities. The production workforce itself is 64% first generation immigrant and 80% people of color. Entry level wages in manufacturing offer better benefits a greater likelihood of being unionized, and at least $16,000 more than jobs in retail or restaurant, the two sectors most commonly compared with the manufacturing workforce.

Who are these manufacturers and what are they making?

In many instances, they are third or fourth generation companies that anchor neighborhoods by providing high wage jobs for local residents. This creates high walk-to-work ratios and stable employment opportunities, particularly in areas with heavy immigrant populations like Sunset Park and Williamsburg. Beyond the neighborhood level, manufacturing generates sizable tax revenues and supports jobs in sectors like finance, tourism and the arts.

Industrial businesses run the gamut in diversity of products. Though the largest sub sectors are apparel/textiles and food, NYC firms make anything from hand saws to bicycles to airplane parts. What links them all is a commitment to high-quality, value-added goods and their ability to adapt to the city’s dynamic markets. There is steady growth in woodworking and green manufacturing, as firms have exercised their skill and ingenuity in tapping into the City’s challenging, eclectic, and increased demand for green products. Besides the local market, the proximity to the City’s design community and outstanding labor pool are some of the biggest draws for businesses. All this, despite the prohibitive cost of doing business here.

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Posted at 12:00 PM, Aug 23, 2007 in Labor
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