Engineering a Transformation

El Paso receives two of the most significant place-based economic development federal investments: EDA Build Back Better Regional Challenge and NSF Regional Innovation Engine Grants. The vision is to bring disruptive changes with an audacious and determined goal to transform our community's economic future. As highlighted by distinguished El Paso leaders in a recent Op-Ed*, El Paso's bet on low-wage labor in the later part of the 20th Century drove us to the losing end of the post-NAFTA manufacturing job losses. In 1990, our community had 41,400 Manufacturing Jobs**, 20 percent of the total jobs of the El Paso and Upper Rio Grande Valley Regions. The number went down to 16,850 manufacturing jobs (5.4% of the total jobs in the region) in 2019, with a loss of more than 24,000 jobs.

All community leaders and policymakers agreed that we must recover at least 70% of those lost jobs to address the structural weakness and future-proofing our regional economy. However, many lost jobs were in lower-skilled and low-wage manufacturing operations such as apparel manufacturing. So, El Paso's transformation for the next two decades will be based on the future technology trends of the national and global economy. By interwinding research and innovation, talent development in all spectrums, and manufacturing infrastructure within an ambitious economic development platform, El Paso will pursue a future that will rely on:

Digital Society: With the rapid advancement of technologies, the line between the real and virtual worlds starts to fade. Delivering digital experiences has become critical for all aspects of our society and economy; from service industries to health care to manufacturing, our preparedness to integrate with the digital economy will determine our future. However, we have a significant barrier to overcome. As the Deutsche Bank Research Report*** pointed out, "The exponential growth of the digital economy is going to leave large chunks of minorities with little or no access to jobs. We conducted a bottom-up societal study, and it shows that 76% of Blacks and 62% of Hispanics could get shut out or be under-prepared for 86% of jobs in the US by 2045. If this digital racial gap is not addressed, in one generation alone, digitization could render the country's minorities into an unemployment abyss." With this enormous challenge, we will pursue intense strategic activities that include 5G deployment, broadband access, training and support, and many more to transition our community to a digital society.  

Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence: From a possible Indo-Pacific conflict front to transformational urban air mobility transportation modality to chatbot-driven virtual call centers, autonomy, and artificial intelligence will dictate our techno-economic future. There is absolutely no doubt about it. Our region's nearly 10,000 call center jobs are at risk because of the rapid infusion of artificial intelligence in customer service sectors. We must ensure our regional economy is not excluded from this new economic modality. We will develop research, innovation, training, and technology adaptation programs to prepare our economy for this future. We will spearhead the transition to an intelligent regional infrastructure to be at the forefront of accepting autonomy and artificial intelligence as a part of our quest for prosperity.

Advanced Manufacturing: Millions of new manufacturing jobs will be back onshore. The need for supply chain resilience, rising costs in Asian operations, and automation will make Made-In America very attractive. However, these manufacturing operations will be quite different than what we had in the past. Driven by digital engineering and manufacturing, robotics and automation, and 3D printing (additive manufacturing), this new American manufacturing modality will require skills that our regional manufacturing workforce currently lacks. To take advantage of the new age of American manufacturing, we must prepare a talent force with skills for tomorrow's jobs and build a manufacturing infrastructure that supports advanced manufacturing. Working with nearly 300 regional small and medium manufacturers, we will re-imagine our regional manufacturing with infrastructure and talents to support the renaissance of US manufacturing.   


Just close your eyes and Imagine an El Paso and West Texas future where we double the manufacturing job numbers by recovering ~70% of manufacturing job losses in the early decade of this Century. Imagine the economic prosperity it will bring to our region. Just Imagine………!  

* UTEP Aerospace Program propels El Paso to new heights: Escobar, Blanco, Samaniego, Leeser, El Paso Times, Feb. 12, 2024. https://rb.gy/amcwi3

** Manufacturing In The Upper Rio Grande Region, Comptroller.Texas.Gov. https://rb.gy/4bql3m

*** America's Racial Gap & Big Tech's Closing Window, Deutsche Bank Research, https://rb.gy/h7bfkn

Image Source: Aerospace Center's Research Engineer El Paso Native Antonio Robali

Disclaimer: My social media posts are my personal opinion as a Private Citizen, Professor, and Academics Researcher. I am not posting or speaking on behalf of the University of Texas at El Paso.


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