Manufacturing is the process of transforming raw materials into goods that are necessary for modern life. Major types of manufacturing include iron, lumber, and steel; textiles and apparel; aerospace and automobile; drug and chemical, and electronics and appliances.

Virtually all depend on at least one of three processes: assembly (combining parts to make a product, such as an engine), extraction (removing components from raw materials, such as gasoline), and alteration (molding raw materials into a final product, such as lumber).

Behind these processes are hosts of designers, engineers, laborers, managers, and analysts who develop new products, create new manufacturing methods, assemble products, ensure legal compliance, and analyze economic factors, such as competition, worldwide markets, and tariffs.

Employment opportunities will vary according to industry and occupation. Drug manufacturing is projected to be one of the faster growing industries, while chemical, steel, textile, and automobile manufacturing will decline. Opportunities in electronic equipment manufacturing will be good for highly skilled technical personnel, but poor for production workers. Projections for the apparel industry are especially bleak. Due to increased imports and new technology, apparel manufacturing is expected to lose 178,000 jobs--more than almost any other industry--from 1998 to 2008.

Flexibility and an aptitude for technology will be increasingly important as automated factories become the norm. Teamwork is also needed in companies that follow the trend toward "team manufacturing," in which employees interact with counterparts at every level, from engineers to computer technicians to line workers.

The working conditions in manufacturing firms are as varied as the goods they produce and often parallel the firm’s ratio of white-collar to blue-collar workers. In aerospace manufacturing, for example, technicians, professional specialists, and other skilled workers comprise the bulk of employment. In contrast, blue-collar production workers account for over 4 out of 5 jobs in the textile industry. Environments range from the antiseptic conditions found in drug manufacturing to the hot, noisy, and fume-filled plants common in automobile manufacturing.

Occupational injury and illness for all manufacturing industries averaged 10.3 cases per 100 workers in 1997, with heavy manufacturing experiencing the highest number of incidents at 12 per 100 full-time workers. Due to the hazards of this field, hard hats, safety shoes, protective glasses, earplugs, and protective clothing are required in most production areas.

While many dangerous jobs remain, modern facilities and automated equipment are making today’s firms safer and more efficient. For example, steel mills--characterized as hot and dangerous--now rely on computer-controlled machines to move iron and steel through the production process, operated by workers who sit in air-conditioned rooms.