Willis: RGV has added 2,000 new manufacturing jobs over past five years

MCALLEN, Texas - The Rio Grande Valley added 2,000 new manufacturing jobs over the last five years, according to data collated by the South Texas Manufacturers Association. Mike Willis, executive director of STMA, said most of the growth is in Cameron County. He puts much of it down to the shipbuilding Keppel AmFELS is doing at the Port of Brownsville, and SpaceX.Willis has worked for Workforce Solutions in the past and has also managed a maquiladora plant in Reynosa. He shared the latest manufacturing employment data at a recent STMA monthly meeting.“When I was looking at the manufacturing employment data I was actually a little bit surprised,” Willis admitted.Looking at the national and statewide picture, Willis said the U.S. in general and Texas in particular “has recuperated all jobs that were lost in the pandemic and we're back to where we were in 2019 at our peak and even higher.”Editor's Note: To read the full story go to the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service website. Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.