    From
the Editor |
THE LAST CUT...Sought-after machinists enjoy many bonusesThe market is competitive
by Dee Dieterich Schields,
In the past 10 years, the need for good machinists has cut hard into companies; they'll outbid other companies, offer relocation packages, and clinch hiring deals with signed bonuses. Reed Tool, an oil-tool manufacturer in Houston, TX, needs 41 trained machinists immediately. "The emphasis is on trained," says EE Strahan, Reed Tool's human resources director. He adds: "There are many unskilled people applying for these jobs, but we don't have the time or funds to train them." Training begins at places such as Texas State Technical College (TSTC), Waco, where students learn machine-tool operation, including the use of manual and CNC machines. After the one-year program, students can interpret complex drawings, select the correct material, and perform machining processes successfully. The training gives these graduates an edge, as George Gray of the school's Machine Shop Operations Program points out. "Our machining graduates for the spring and summer averaged six job offers each, with starting pay rates of $12 to $13 an hour." Gray reports his department can't keep up with the workforce demand of the Industry Advisory Committee, a group of 16 leaders from the machining industry who assist in TSTC curriculum changes, equipment acquisitions, scholarships, and job placement. According to Gray, each of the companies represented by the committee has open positions for machinists. Currently in Houston there are 300 openings. Also, after only a couple of years, it is easy for a machinist to make $18 an hour, says Matt Cavanugh, manager of process engineering for Sulzer Medica's Sulzer Orthopedics Inc. Along with offering a starting pay of $12 to $13 an hour, many Dallas and Houston companies are signing $300 bonuses to sway TSTC graduates. Employment opportunities for trained machinists abound while, ironically, USA Today reports that the most common worry for older teens is "getting a good job." Of all American 15-to-18-year-olds, 77% are highly concerned with job availability. Not only are machining jobs plentiful, but, by age 26, precision machinists or toolmakers average $41,000 a year, according to Charmilles Technologies, Lincolnshire, IL. According to the same study, at age 26, a person with a bachelor of science in business averages $31,000 a year. Further, the report cites 15,000 companies in the US that employ 400,000 machinists--currently, 20,000 jobs are open nationwide. With all the prospects, Gray says, "you would think more high school students would be investigating the opportunities for those with technical knowledge and skills." Job seekers, under these conditions, are in a favorable bargaining position. As Gray points out, "This industry--locally, regionally, and nationally--is doing all it can to win the hiring battle for much-needed machinists."   This article was originally published in the November 1997 issue of Metlfax. |
When you hear about "signing bonuses," do
you think of professional athletes? Or if it's "relocation packages,"
do you picture top executives? When business and industry representatives
use these words, more than ever they're talking about machinists.