Image Connecticut manufacturing has overcome many challenges over the past 200-plus years, but the challenges of 2020 are unique in our lifetimes. We started 2020 at or near a 10-year high in manufacturing employment and there were up to 10,000 open skilled-manufacturing jobs. The top concern for manufacturers in January was the availability of skilled workers. Then the coronavirus pandemic hit and changed everything, forcing manufacturers to re-engineer their shop floors, workforces, supply chains and even product mix. As of November, the state’s manufacturing workforce in 2020 shrank by 4% as a result of the pandemic, but recent monthly data show a slow, albeit inconsistent improvement.