Manufacturing jobs historically have offered relatively high wages to low-skilled workers and they help support jobs in other industries. The sector also is an early indicator for the rest of the economy. Economists said the dollar value of manufacturing's contribution to the economy is, on average, greater than in other sectors. As a result, workers' paychecks in the sector tend to be higher than those of workers in other sectors. The high wages are linked to worker productivity, said George Sharpley, an economist with the Delaware Department of Labor.
Manufacturers tend to use high levels of capital, which includes cash, equipment and supplies.
Any labor you add to that capital tends to be highly productive. You get to capture part of the increase in productivity through the wage. But Sharpley said the number of manufacturing jobs has declined. In 1995, there were about 62,000 manufacturing workers in Delaware. For the past three years, the number has remained about 59,000.