BAY CITY, MI — A semiconductor plant in Bay City will expand thanks to a loan from the Biden administration. The loan, $544 million to South Korean tech conglomerate SK Group, is conditioned on expansion of the existing plant in Michigan. This is just one more example of the Biden administration’s focus on bringing high tech jobs and manufacturing back to the United States.
The loan for the SK Group facility and other projects come after passage of the CHIPS and SCIENCE Act, the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act. The passage of the three bills has led to demand for construction workers across the United States with carpenters, laborers, operating engineers and other skilled trades in high demand.
President Joe Biden has made fixing America’s infrastructure, supporting high-tech jobs and bringing manufacturing back to America the centerpiece of his first term. This focus has led to historic increases in construction jobs across Michigan and the United States. According to State News Service:
The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity [forecasts], skilled trade positions will account for about 47,000 annual job openings through 2028.
Those positions in the state’s Bureau of Labor Market Information’s Hot 50 Job Outlook include electricians, truck drivers, plumbers, pipefitters and other occupations that do not require a four-year college degree.
“We have drifted away from encouraging or fostering the idea for young kids to go into the trades,” said Kevin Koehler, the president of the Construction Association of Michigan. “Trade classes in school – wood shop, auto shop – those are being discontinued.”
As Michigan once again takes the lead in manufacturing the next generation of autos. The men and women of the skilled trades will be the ones to build the new factories and facilities that will keep Michigan at the forefront of the automotive industry.
