Other, smaller manufacturers, are still setting up shop in the area. New employers, like Japanese manufacturer Sanko<\/a>, have targeted the South Side and the U.S. Interstate 35 corridor<\/a> between San Antonio and Austin, where British plastics manufacturer RGE Group<\/a> announced a factory earlier this year.<\/p>\n \u201cManufacturing employers continue to show significant interest and activity in the region. In fact, over the last 5 years, San Antonio led the nation in manufacturing job growth among the top 50 metros,\u201d said Jamie Bloodsworth Lutrell, a spokesperson for Greater:SATX.<\/p>\n In the long-term, Bloodsworth Lutrell said, the two-year decline is a part of \u201ctypical labor-market dynamics.\u201d Bloodsworth Lutrell said Greater:SATX is currently working on projects that could result in an additional 21,000 manufacturing jobs and $11 billion in investment.<\/p>\n Other manufacturers don\u2019t see their jobs going away anytime soon.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile we have seen reports indicating slight declines in manufacturing employment overall, Toyotetsu Texas has not experienced reductions in labor over the past year,\u201d said Leslie Cantu, vice president of administration for Toyotetsu Texas, which supplies auto body parts to the nearby Toyota factory.<\/p>\n Even with that decline, Cantu said, San Antonio\u2019s manufacturing future is positive. Nearby, for example, Toyota is preparing to invest $3.6 billion and create 2,000 more jobs for a new assembly line<\/a>.<\/p>\n The decline in manufacturing employment could also be creating higher demand for available jobs. Cantu has noticed an increase in applicants.<\/p>\n At a job fair for JCB, the British manufacturer that\u2019s building a new facility on the South Side, 1,000 people showed up to submit resumes and sit down for interviews. Rick Barquero is leading the effort to staff the facility, which will employ 1,500 people<\/a> by the time it\u2019s fully operational in 2030<\/a>.<\/p>\n The hiring fair was three times larger than Barquero expected, he said, and a sign that San Antonio workers are interested in manufacturing careers.<\/p>\n \u201cThe skillsets of the people that are coming are very strong,\u201d Barquero said. \u201cWe anticipated it. We didn\u2019t know how good or strong it would be. Today it\u2019s been proven that we were correct.\u201d<\/p>\n David Farenthold, a quality engineer who is trying to get back into the manufacturing industry, recently sat down for an interview at JCB\u2019s hiring fair.<\/p>\n He says he is positive about the job search because more large factories are opening.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a great opportunity,\u201d he said. \u201cWith JCB here now, [the job search] is better.\u201d<\/p>\n Xavier Arriaga and Antonia Reyes also attended the hiring fair. Arriaga worked in plumbing and electrical systems, but wanted to transition to a reputable company that\u2019s expanding.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s hard to find,\u201d he said, regarding job opportunities.<\/p>\n Both Reyes and Arriaga said they\u2019re not exclusively interested in manufacturing jobs, but appreciate a stable opportunity with dependable pay.<\/p>\n Adrian Lopez is the CEO for Workforce Solutions Alamo. He said employers in the sector are having little trouble filling jobs. At the beginning of the year, San Antonio\u2019s largest manufacturers were filling positions in 20-30 days.<\/p>\n \u201cThey definitely have more people to choose from,\u201d Lopez said. \u201cEmployers see that as a benefit.\u201d<\/p>\n John Rodriguez was hired with Cox Manufacturing in March, which produces precision screws in San Antonio. He went through a 10-week manufacturing training program with Goodwill and was also supported by the City of San Antonio\u2019s Ready to Work program.<\/p>\n \u201cApplying was not difficult,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He received support from Goodwill on how to prepare for his interview, but the job search took just two weeks, he said.<\/p>\n Despite challenges in international trade and global supply chains that make production more difficult and expensive, Torres has seen the same optimism from businesses across Texas. He looks at responses from Texas manufacturers to statewide surveys. Those comments are positive \u2014 employers are projecting a strong, growing economy despite the increase in costs.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/JCB-HRRecruitingDay-1.jpg\")
Candidates from around the city gathered outside JCB\u2019s Southside facility for a hiring fair on July 17, 2026. Credit: Courtesy \/ JCB<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SankoPlastics_JapaneseManufaturing_SouthsideFactory_13_02.11.2026_AmberEsparza.jpg\")
A businessman with Sanko Texas Corporation flies a drone over the land that the Sanko plastic manufacturing facility will sit on during the groundbreaking ceremony on Feb. 11, 2026. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/JCB-HRRecruitingDay-7566.jpg\")
JCB staff interview candidates in San Antonio at a hiring fair outside the company\u2019s Southside facility on July 17, 2026. Credit: Courtesy \/ JCB<\/p>\n