• In recent years, our country (indeed our world!) has transformed from a manufacturing-based economy into a knowledge-based economy, and the number of manufacturing jobs has decreased tremendously. But careers in manufacturing in South Carolina are still great options.
  
• In the upstate of South Carolina more people are employed in manufacturing than in any other segment of the labor force, including wholesale and retail trade and the services industry.
  
• South Carolina expects to see gains in certain types of manufacturing, including production of fabricated metals, industrial machinery and equipment, chemicals, electronic parts and equipment, paper products, and transportation equipment.
  
• South Carolina is a driving force in the country’s growing automotive sector, and many job opportunities are available with automotive manufacturers and suppliers.
  
• In the textile industry, jobs in apparel companies have been lost, but demand is growing for high-end textile products, such as bulletproof vests and flame-resistant clothing; materials for airbags and other fabrics used in automobiles; high-performance sportswear that can absorb perspiration, reflect sunlight and reduce aerodynamic drag; woven medical materials; and other "smart" textiles which change color, radiate heat, or react in some other way to external stimuli.
  
• Nationwide manufacturing employment opportunities are expected to grow modestly with most job openings occurring within companies that make durable goods and pharmaceuticals.
  
• With our nation’s aging population, pharmaceutical manufacturing jobs are expected to increase more than 20% by 2010.
  
• Other opportunities for well-paying manufacturing jobs include working for companies that make computers, electronic components, automobiles, and communications equipment.
  
  

(Sources: South Carolina Appalachian Council of Governments, South Carolina Employment Security Commission, U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)