NE Indiana Has $1.2B More In Disposable Income

NE Indiana Has $1.2B More In Disposable Income

By Corinne Rose - 21Alive

November 25, 2013 Updated Nov 25, 2013 at 6:20 PM EST

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (21Alive) -- Did you notice more cash in your paycheck last year?

According to the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership, people across our area had $1.2 billion more to spend than the year before.

In a sign that the economy is turning around, people in our area made an average of $1500 to $1700 more last year. And that's something that goes hand in hand with that old term -- economic development.

According to the Partnership, companies are raising the average wage people receive in this market in order to keep those skilled workers here.

Otherwise, those workers tend to move out of the region in search of better salaries.

And to keep the region vital, it needs to have great jobs as well as a trained workforce.

“I think it's a very positive thing that the community has gotten together to help focus on driving development, education, economic development. The Regional Partnership has done a good job in developing a proactive approach to collaboration between government, education and business,” says Rob Marr, vice president at C & A Tool in Churubusco.

“It's not all about four year degrees and two year degrees. We have a large number of certified skills that are required in this region because of our manufacturing base. And the highest concentration of wealth, prosperity and employment are produced in this region from advanced manufacturing skills,” says John Sampson of the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership.

Many experts have said relying on manufacturing is a poor plan. But when advanced manufacturing is taking off, and companies are demanding more skills from their employees, those workers need to make sure their talents are up to date.

Sampson says that's the key to attracting those high-paying jobs here: to have a workforce that's ready to meet the demands and challenges of those jobs.

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