The manufacturing sector saw little change in September with a loss of 1,000 factory jobs, according to the latest employment data from the Labor Department. The news falls on Manufacturing Day, a month-long celebration of America's makers.
Said Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) President Scott Paul:
"It's difficult to say there's a trend in manufacturing jobs based on the ups and downs of the past few months, especially given the devastation from the recent hurricanes. But on Manufacturing Day, it’s worth taking a hard look at what we need to do to create more good-paying factory jobs, including finally investing in our infrastructure, doing more to train workers, acting on open imports investigations, and enforcing our trade laws.
"Layoff notices have recently gone out to workers in two Pennsylvania steel mills as imports have surged more than 21 percent in recent months. With middle class jobs hanging in the balance, the Trump Administration needs to wrap up its Section 232 review of steel imports now."
Paul also takes a look at manufacturing's future. Read Paul's Manufacturing Day remarks on Medium:
"Even in an age of automation and globalization, there are a lot of reasons to think that millions more Americans can be working in manufacturing over the next decade. We have a strong energy advantage. We have a robust consumer market. We have an entrepreneurial culture. While more robots will be found on factory floors, the industry is already highly automated. With new products, more market share, and sharpened skills, we can create more factory jobs. With the right mindsets in the public and private sectors, we can guarantee that the next generation of really amazing things can be made right here."