Coming to Charlotte: 50 high-paying manufacturing jobs

Canadian manufacturing firm Eclipse Automation Inc. is expanding its operations to Mecklenburg County, bringing 50 new jobs in the next three years, Gov. Pat McCrory's office said Monday.  Eclipse supplies custom automated manufacturing equipment to help companies build efficient assembly and testing operations. The firm's new facility will be located in Whitehall Technology Park in southwest Charlotte.

The company, based in Ontario, Canada, will be offering salaries averaging more than $75,000, officials said. Openings for several engineering posts to be stationed in the Charlotte office are already being advertised on the company's website.

"I'd like to thank Eclipse for creating valuable manufacturing jobs here in North Carolina," McCrory said. "Manufacturing has been a big part of our state's past and will continue to be a large part of our state's future."

The top 10 job sectors driving Charlotte's economy

The CareerBuilder job search Website and its subsidiary, Economic Modeling Specialists International, have come up with a fascinating interactive map and database that pops the hood on regional economies and pinpoints the job sectors that are key drivers for each area.

Click on Charlotte on the map and you'll find the Queen City's key drivers (and their percentage job growth since 2010) are:

• Management of companies and enterprises -- 2%
• Depository credit intermediation (banking) -- 5%
• Management, scientific and technical consulting services -- 22%
• Nondepository credit intermediation -- 15%
• Scheduled air transportation -- 17%
• Data processing, hosting and related services -- 14%
• Other financial investment activities -- 20%
• Spectator sports -- 37%
• Wired telecommunications carriers -- 31%
• Engine, turbine and power transmission equipment manufacturing -- 75%

It's an interesting mix of "we already knew that" jobs (financial sector)  and "say what?" jobs (spectator sports? Did two more professional sports teams move to Charlotte?). The one that jumps out at me -- other than that -- is engine, turbine and power transmission manufacturing, whose 2,477 jobs for 2013 represents a 75 percent increase over 2010. With $100,000 average salaries, you can see where this is a very encouraging sign -- and one that local officials and economic developers need to be pushing as much as possible.