Employment numbers are grim, we continue to lose jobs month after month, but one bright spot is that manufacturing jobs have shown some signs of life. The simple fact is that it’s getting more expensive to manufacture products overseas (read China) as political issues, cost of living increases and other factors drive costs up for China. For many years the Chinese government has artificially pumped money into industries with low/no interest loans or grants. This policy seems to be subsiding slightly and should in the future bring manufacturing costs more in-line with the rest of the world. As long as their environmental and human rights policies stay lax, it will never be on parity with the US, but it will be closer than it is today.
So what can you do, as a CNC machinist? Diversify and get creative! There will always be a need for prototype and low production machinists in this country. There will always be a transportation and language gap when dealing overseas, so these quick-turnaround type orders will always exist.
Assuming you have built a solid foundation in computers, if you utilize a CAM software package, consider expanding your skills to ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) & MRP (Manufacturing Resource Planning) software. I have been involved in several MRP implementations, and there is always a need for a leader that understands the computer system, and the human issues that are involved when implementing a solution.
Become a resource, expand your knowledge base and you will always have a job.