Manufacturing jobs in Connecticut had the fifth-highest hourly wage in the country in 2013, according to an analysis by a think tank that focuses on the plights of middle and lower-income workers.
Manufacturing jobs in the state that did not require a college degree paid an average rate of $20.83 per hour in 2013, behind Delaware, New Hampshire, Washington and Wyoming, which had the highest pay, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
Partially funded by unions, EPI has advocated for mandated sick leave, greater government investment in infrastructure, and more overtime protections for workers.
The manufacturing report breaks down each state by congressional district.
Connecticut’s fourth district, which covers much of Fairfield County, has the greatest number of the nearly 164,000 manufacturing jobs in the state, but the sector is more important to workers in the eastern half of the state — the second district — where a greater percentage of total jobs are in manufacturing.
The report notes that U.S. manufacturing employment has been falling since 1998, and calls on the federal government to enact policies to eliminate currency manipulation by foreign countries, which has been cited as a top reason for the country’s trade deficit. Manufacturers could also benefit if the government invests more in energy efficiency, renewable energy, research and other areas, the report added.
