Saturday Paper Headline Should Give Pause

Job Eliminations at Wyeth Should Get Everyone's Attention

An earlier post suggested that you not miss the Saturday edition on the Sanford Herald because of the Take 5 feature. That turned to be well worth reading (more on that in a later post). Then there was the bankruptcy of Commissioner Linda Shook. But the article of most significance was the news that Lee County has lost 66 manufacturing jobs at Wyeth. The 66 job eliminations--not layoffs in the traditional sense because the jobs are gone period--were part of 1200 world wide.

In January, Wyeth said up to 10 percent of its 50,000 employees could lose their jobs by 2011 under a restructuring program. The move comes as Wyeth and its peers struggle to cut costs as key revenue drivers lose patent protection. (Read more on Wyeth's financial prospects) .

The point is not so much that our top notch employment leader is having a tougher time. The point is that U.S. industry continues to cut jobs to be more efficient as technology and global competition grow. Columnist D. G. Martin recently wrote:

The future is not just about the loss of North Carolina manufacturing jobs. What about the high-paying jobs in banking, finance, law, medicine, education and research that are the economic "pride and joy" of the successes of the 20th century? How will we deal with the consequences of their migration to other countries as global communication makes it possible for others to do more than we can for less? (Read the full column)

Ask a politician or local civic leader about Lee County's most pressing problem and you will hear "growth". Yes, population growth is coming as people discover you can get home to Sanford from Raleigh faster than you can drive to parts of Wake County at rush hour. Then there are the possibilities created by more military jobs moving to Ft. Bragg. This kind of growth will create the need for retail and service jobs which are traditionally low wage jobs.

The county continues to invest in an economic development park which is based on a manufacturing scenario. Perhaps we should be giving more thought to how to help small business grow and compete in a world economy. In any event, the argument for continuing investments in our community college seems to be stronger than ever.