Press Releases

High-Tech Manufacturing Economy Emerging in Parts of Upstate New York 6/18/2010

Mayor Linda Witte enthusiastically welcomed some upbeat news that arrived during the week of June 14-18 from New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

“On the one hand it just educates us, but it’s more positive than we thought it would be,” she said about DiNapoli’s statement that upstate is seeing an emergence of high-tech manufacturing and is well positioned to educate the workers that will be needed for this kind of employment growth.

“This news verifies the information we’re receive from JCC and OBI that their enrollment is significantly up. Also, recently some of our industries have cautiously forecast a small wave of hiring headed our way in the coming weeks and months. Despite the long recession upstate has endured, Olean doesn’t have people recovering from the heaviest impacts of the burst of the housing bubble,” said the Mayor.

A number of high-tech manufacturing sectors are emerging in parts of upstate New York despite the impact of the recession, according to a report released today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The report highlights positive aspects of a sector that has otherwise seen major declines in jobs over the past several decades.

Upstate New York has lost traditional manufacturing jobs," DiNapoli said. "It's not very likely we'll get those jobs back. But several regions around the state are moving away from smokestacks toward more high-tech, high-skill manufacturing. It's a good direction."

To read the full press release, visit:www.osc.state.ny.us/press/releases/june10/061710.htm