New C-BEST brief looks at manufacturing and innovation jobs

EDINBURG, RGV – Salvador Contreras and his economics team at UT-Rio Grande Valley’s Center for Border Economic Studies have produced their latest Border Business Brief.

The current issue looks at innovation and manufacturing jobs. The title of the brief is: “Texas manufacturing and innovation jobs could use more education.”

Contreras introduced his brief by pointing to a Dec. 9 Brookings Institution report by Robert Atkinson, Mark Muro and Jacob Whiton.

The report showed that the growth of America’s best paying high-tech and innovation jobs are concentrated in a handful of “superstar” metros. They state that 90 percent of job growth in this sector occurred in Boston, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, and San Diego. 

Among Texas metros on their list of 100 metros, San Antonio and Austin had the highest gains at 27th and 31st place respectively. 

“In this brief we take a closer look at jobs in the innovation sectors in Texas. It is believed that the agglomeration of talent is an important driver of job growth and wages. We also focus on the border region’s manufacturing and innovation industry,” Contreras wrote.

“We show that stagnant wages in part reflect a declining share of employment in good paying occupations. Further, stagnant educational attainment has not helped in attracting the type of jobs needed to see real wage growth.”

Editor’s Note: Click here to read C-BEST’s latest Border Business Brief.

Editor’s Note: The main image accompanying this news brief shows a photo provided by the U.S. Department of Labor.

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