Layoffs in Franklin County point to a shrinking manufacturing economy

Manufacturing is an important part of Vermont’s economy. According to the state, about seven percent of Vermont workers are employed by manufacturing companies and those employees make an average of $68,000 dollars a year.But the sector is shrinking fast. Between 2020, before the pandemic, and now, the number of manufacturing jobs has fallen by more than 11 percent.Case in point: The infant formula maker Perrigo. About a year ago, it announced it’d be closing its factory in Georgia, Franklin County. This month, it kicked off that process, laying off 162 people. By the end of June, all manufacturing at the plant will have ceased and more than four hundred will be laid off.We’ll work to understand why the plant is closing with Vermont Business Magazine’s Tim McQuiston and Megan Sullivan of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. We'll also hear from the owner of Georgia Market near the Perrigo plant about the impact to his own business’s future.Then: Overdose deaths have declined in Vermont for three years in a row. Why? Is it access to overdose reversal meds? State-funded treatment programs? Changes in street supply? We'll break down the data with the state's Department of Health.