Thursday, March 28, 2024

Holding down the manufacturing fort

Manufacturing seems to be a popular sector for Indiana immigrants, but why?

By Benjamin Cooley

Indiana has long been known as a powerhouse in manufacturing, but recent gains in the industry have instilled even more confidence. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Indiana ranked first in the country in 2014 for percentage of total employment in non-farm manufacturing positions at 16.9 percent. And from 2013 to 2014, Indiana was second in the nation for manufacturing employment growth with a 4.5 percent increase in jobs.

The stats it make clear that Hoosiers take pride in building things and building them well. But among the various factors that make Indiana such a successful manufacturing state, lays a frequently overlooked group of workers: recent immigrants.

As of 2006, about three out of 10 workers in Indiana’s immigrant workforce were employed in the manufacturing industry. Using this figure, along with the latest census data, results in just over 93,000 immigrants working manufacturing-related jobs in Indiana today.

For many immigrants, the manufacturing industry represents a steady and gradual entry into their new lives. Thawngzapum Lian, a once-refugee to Indianapolis from Malaysia, experienced this firsthand. Upon arriving in Indiana in 2007, Lian got his first job working for a manufacturing plant in Plainfield, where he assembled electronics like chargers and smartphone accessories. After working for another manufacturing plant, Lian eventually became a caseworker for Catholic Charities, where he specialized in employment placement for refugees like himself. Lian said for most immigrants he worked with, manufacturing jobs are a good fit.

“There’s not as much competition as other industries. For example, with something like engineering, you need experience and schooling, but most manufacturing jobs only require a high school degree. Most people can get by without even speaking much English,” Lian said.

When Lian held his manufacturing jobs, he recalled, he worked alongside immigrants from all over the world. Now he works as a software engineer for IBM. For him, and many others, working in manufacturing has been a good entry point into the Hoosier workforce.

“What really matters (in manufacturing jobs] is a good work ethic, and many of the refugees I helped find work had a good work ethic, so they did well,” said Lian.

Manufacturing jobs also act as a good entry point beyond the professional realm. James A. McCann, a professor of Latin American studies and political science at Purdue University, described the workplace as a process of learning on the job.

“There’s a lot of assimilation that happens at the workplace. Especially in larger firms, there is a lot of interaction, so immigrants are going to meet people from other places,” said McCann.

As they learn, immigrant employees in manufacturing can experience a less intimidating assimilation process into the new culture. This process takes time, and sometimes, a little extra help from employers. But gradually, McCann explained, a job in this industry can open up other areas of growth.

“The longer you’re there, the more proficient you become at language adoption and social norms. So the workplace is a very important repository for immigrant socialization,” McCann said.

 

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