Manufacturers in Carson City and Lyon, Storey and Douglas counties are having trouble finding good workers but they're still able to fill their vacancies.
A survey of 14 manufacturing companies in the region found that 69 percent have growing needs for employees and none of them believe good workers are particularly easy to find.
At the same time, however, the companies surveyed by the Northern Nevada Development Authority said the number of unfilled positions on their staffs is stable or decreasing.
Results of the survey were released by NNDA last week. It was conducted during the first quarter.
Larie Trippett, business development manager for NNDA, noted this marks the first time the development agency has surveyed manufacturers. The results, he said, will provide a baseline to gauge changes as future surveys are conducted.
The manufacturing companies said they're growing.
About two-thirds said they've introduced new products in the past five years, and a similar number said new products are in the pipeline for introduction within the next two years.
Sales are increasing at 79 percent of the companies surveyed by NNDA volunteers, and the identical percentage said that they're winning a larger share of the market for their key products.
While manufacturing increasingly is knit into the global economy, 38 percent of the companies surveyed by NNDA said they don't use any imported components.
Fifty percent said they don't do any export business.
On the other hand, nearly a quarter said they're using more imported components. And 36 percent said that exports are a growing portion of their total sales.
A full 29 percent of the companies surveyed said that their ownership has changed in the past 18 months or a change is on the horizon.
Two-thirds, meanwhile, said top management has changed recently or is expected to change soon.
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