From the perspective of a veteran economist, what are the impacts of COVID-19 and the recession on the manufacturing industry?

This webinar will focus on the impacts of the current COVID-19 pandemic and economic recession on the Manufacturing sector, including critical supply chains, both nationwide and in Illinois.

• How has manufacturing fared relative to other industries in terms of employment, wages and output?
• What has been the impact in Illinois?
• As firms gradually reopen across states, what difficulties have they faced in hiring back workers?
• Longer term, what are the latest economic projections for recovery?
• Prior to the current situation, automation was becoming increasingly important in manufacturing. Will the current pandemic and recession speed up this trend?

ABOUT THE PRESENTER

Dr. Michael Horrigan has been the President of the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research since March 2019. The Institute, headquartered in Kalamazoo, MI, is a private, not-for-profit, nonpartisan, independent organization founded in 1945. The Institute conducts high-quality research on labor markets, focusing on the causes of unemployment, the effectiveness of social safety net programs, the impact of education and training on workers’ employability and earnings, the influence of state and local economic development policies, and the analysis of regional economic conditions. The Institute also administers federal, state, and locally funded employment and training programs to assist job seeks and employers in Southwest Michigan.

Prior to coming to the Institute, Mike worked for 32 years in a variety of positions at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Most recently, from 2015 to 2019, he ran the employment and unemployment programs at BLS, including the publication of the national civilian unemployment rate and the monthly payroll jobs numbers. Prior to that position, Mike oversaw all of the price and inflation programs at BLS.

Presented in partnership with: