Ball State University recently published it’s 2020 Manufacturing and Logistics National Report Card evaluating each state’s rankings for factors contributing to the growth of American manufacturing. New Mexico received passing grades for categories like worker benefit costs, tax climate, global reach and productivity and innovation. The report also spotlights the areas NM needs to make dramatic improvement as well in areas like logistics industry health, human capital and diversification of manufacturing sectors.

Of particular concern is the poor rating for New Mexico’s human capital. No factor matters more to businesses than the quality and availability of labor. Education specifically is what NM is lagging behind on, today’s manufacturers must possess the ability to understand increasingly complex production processes that are mostly managed by computers with specialized software. Without improvements to our state’s educational system and an expansion of vocational and trade skills NM will continue to lag behind other states in our ability to attract and staff manufacturing firms to the state. To read the full report click HERE.