The latest monthly jobs report was issued this morning.  The U.S. economy added 140,000 jobs to private payrolls in November, and the unemployment rate dipped to 8.6%.  The U.S. manufacturing sector gained 2,000 jobs.

CLICK HERE to download a 60-second MP3 from Scott Paul, Executive Director of the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM), regarding the weak monthly gains of the U.S. manufacturing sector.  Audio clip is intended for all media broadcasts; please include attribution when airing.

Said Scott Paul, Executive Director of the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM):

"While a drop in the unemployment rate is always welcome news, I remain concerned about the types of jobs that are being created, as well as the jobs that we are still losing. Employment in manufacturing, which had seen nearly 250,000 jobs added from January 2010 to June of this year, is now stalled. The sector added just 2,000 jobs in November, and manufacturing employment is virtually unchanged since July. If we want to rebuild the middle class in America, we need strong employment growth in manufacturing.

"I hope lawmakers and the Administration do not get a false sense of security when they look at the drop in the unemployment rate, because the underlying picture isn’t so rosy. That’s why investing in infrastructure, piecing together a national manufacturing strategy, and focusing our tax, procurement, and trade policies on boosting aggregate demand in our nation are so important."