In the look for more jobs coming Allen County’s way, they probably won’t be in manufacturing. Or construction. Or retail. ALLEN COUNTY’S strengths lie in its healthcare and education industries.
In fact, Allen County’s new hospital is the best bet for the area’s economic growth. Healthcare, education, and financial services are the top three professions with a future in the United States.
That comes as no surprise.
Iola has seen its Haldex Brake operation be moved to Monterrey, Mexico. And while the work force at Gates Corporation and Russell Stover Candies remains strong, neither has announced significant changes in years.
Yes, Catalyst is coming to town as a made-over 2R Tool from Humboldt, for which we are very glad. Some say that spells the demise of any competing industries, because there are only so many oilfield-related jobs to be had in the area. Time will tell.
B & W Trailer Hitches in Humboldt is the outlier, thanks to a local employer who has reinvented the wheel many times over to keep the business thriving.
Though economic indicators show progress toward pre-recession health, U.S. manufacturing is down 12.5 percent from 2009.
And as local workers have experienced, even though some manufacturing jobs have returned, their former wages have not. Many now make in the neighborhood of $25,000-$30,000, barely above the federal poverty level. If salaries remain low, so will spending to other sectors of the economy.
Manufacturing today accounts for 12 percent of the U.S. gross national product, down from a peak of 28 percent in 1958. We are a world leader in agriculture, but that employs less than 2 percent of Americans. China’s manufacturing segment accounts for 32 percent of its GDP, though that is predicted to fall as its work force is becoming not only better educated but also older.
U.S. universities lead the world and are a strong export industry. When foreigners come to study at a U.S. college that service is tallied as an export, according to Steven Rattner, a Wall Street executive.
Allen Community College sees a smidgen of international students; this year, 17 of about 2,500 students. Probably more important is that it is a major employer for the county and its staff and student body generate a need for myriad services, including housing, food, entertainment and retail.
And need we say if our K-12 teachers were better paid, that industry would draw even more top-notch professionals.
The United States is also a world leader in medicine. The county has an opportunity to capitalize on its new hospital by following up with a medical arts building that brings an expanded menu of professional services.
Our aging demographics are here to stay, and likely to grow. The hospital’s physical, occupational and speech therapy departments are now staffed and equipped to handle growing numbers.
Why not make the county a mecca for senior services?
Yes, the senior care center was shot down by would-be neighbors and relocated to Chanute. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try again. Perhaps making it a part of the hospital complex could work.
And of course, if Kansas were to expand Medicaid eligibility, that is said to inject $3 billion into the state economy and create 4,000 jobs by 2020.
Increasingly, good jobs are going to those with good educations.
To attract that kind of work force, Allen County needs to keep its eye on fields that are growing and work hard for them to come our way.
— Susan Lynn
Allen Co. should prepare for jobs in medicine, higher ed
