Made In America: Toyota USA Foundation Hands Out $5.8 Million To Boost Manufacturing Careers

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TOYOTA USA FOUNDATION HANDS OUT $5.8 MILLION TO BOOST MANUFACTURING CAREERS
The Toyota USA Foundation, which supports the teaching and learning of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, will provide $5.8 million in grants to push for more manufacturing careers for high school and adult students, with a strong focus on women and diverse communities, it said last week.

“The Toyota USA Foundation is committed to supporting the American manufacturing sector to strengthen our economy,” said Michael Rouse, Toyota USA Foundation President. “By helping students discover their interests in manufacturing careers now, we can cultivate their talents and passions to bolster this critical field for the future.”

To see the list of nonprofits that received funding from the Toyota USA Foundation, click here.

MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY ORDERS SEE DOUBLE-DIGIT DECLINES IN JULY
U.S. manufacturing technology orders in July fell 11.8% from June’s $361.03 million and down 11.1% compared to $358.11 million reported a year ago, according to the Association For Manufacturing Technology. With a year-to-date total of $2.484 billion, 2015 is down 8.7% when compared with 2014.

“The mood among manufacturers right now is best described as ‘caution cubed’ – concerns around disruption in China, a drop in some key economic indicators like PMI and housing starts, and softening in large customer industries, including agriculture and energy,” said AMT President Douglas Woods. “Additionally, consumer confidence dropped in July, and the situation in Europe first with the Greek bailout and now the large influx of refugees is creating added uncertainty. Given all of that, it’s no surprise that manufacturers are wary about making large investments in capital equipment.”

ARKANSAS REPORTS 67 DEATHS IN MINING, FARMING AND MANUFACTURING IN 2014
A preliminary total of 4,679 fatal work injuries were recorded in the United States in 2014, an increase of 2% over the revised count of 4,585 fatal work injuries in 2013, according to results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The preliminary rate of fatal work injury for U.S. workers in 2014 was 3.3 per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, unchanged from 2013. The number of fatal work injuries in private goods-producing industries in 2014 was 9% higher than the revised 2013 count but slightly lower in private service-providing industries. Fatal injuries were higher in mining (17%), agriculture (14%), manufacturing (9%), and construction (6%. Fatal work injuries for government workers declined by 12%. In 2014, fatal work injuries due to transportation incidents were slightly higher – 1,891, up from 1,865 in 2013. Overall, transportation incidents accounted for 40% of fatal workplace injuries in 2014.

The number of occupational fatalities in Arkansas rose from 63 in 2013 to 67 in 2014, most of which were transportation related. Click here to see the full report.

ARKANSAS’ JOBLESS RATE DROPS TO 5.4%
Arkansas’ jobless rate in August dropped two-tenths of a percentage point in tandem with the national unemployment rate as the state’s labor pool rose by 1,400 to a robust 1,338,300 workers, according to the monthly report produced on Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The new job numbers, released by the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services, show Arkansas’ seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell from 5.6% in July to 5.4% in August. The United States jobless rate, reported last week, declined two-tenths of a percentage point down to 5.1% in the same period.