BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisiana’s manufacturers and the quality jobs they provide are front and center this week as the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI) celebrates National Manufacturing Week. LABI members across the state are opening their doors and partnering with their communities to give a peek inside facilities that offer opportunity, increasing awareness of this vital sector of Louisiana’s economy.

Manufacturing Week, the first week of October, ending with National Manufacturing Day (MFG Day) on Friday, is a national grassroots movement that demonstrates the reality and future of modern manufacturing careers. Thousands of companies and educational institutions nationwide are invited to open their doors to students, parents, educators and community leaders. MFG Day, an initiative of the Manufacturing Institute—the workforce development and education affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers—empowers manufacturers to come together and address their collective challenges and build excitement about manufacturing careers to help their communities and future generations thrive.

As the state’s chamber of commerce and manufacturing association, LABI marks Manufacturing Week every year. But as part of the organization’s LA Driven strategic plan, this year’s effort takes on a heightened focus.

“One of the key pillars of our LA Driven strategic plan calls for strengthening our talent pool to make sure our people are able to follow a path to prosperity,” says LABI President and CEO Will Green. “We’re tackling this task in a number of ways—through early career exposure for students so they can be inspired by opportunities around them, by outlining specific pathways to the education and training needed to secure one of these jobs, and by ensuring our education and workforce development partners are strengthened and aligned to keep those pathways free of roadblocks. Our manufacturers have a critical part to play in this LA Driven movement, and we invite you to join us in celebrating that contribution.”

Here’s a snapshot of Louisiana’s manufacturers and their contribution to our economy:

• More than 134,100 people are employed by more than 3,000 manufacturers in Louisiana.
• Louisiana’s manufacturing employees earn an average annual salary of $108,881, compared with $69,000 for non-farm employees in the state.
• In 2023, $52.7 billion worth of manufactured goods were exported from Louisiana.
• Louisiana’s manufacturing sector adds $51.8 billion of value to the state’s economy, comprising 17.8 percent of the state’s GDP.

Throughout the week, LABI will share stories and statistics about Louisiana’s manufacturers on its social media channels, starting with a look at member company Placid Refining Company in Port Allen, La., as told through its employees. To view our spotlight video, click here.

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