Alliance for American Manufacturing's #AAMeter Shows U.S. at + 30,000 Jobs Toward President Obama's Second Term Goal of 1 Million New Manufacturing Jobs.
Manufacturing sector Loses 3,000 jobs in March.
The latest monthly U.S. jobs report shows America's manufacturing sector lost 3,000 jobs in March, 2013, a setback in the path of 21,087 factory jobs that need to be gained each month in order to meet the president's goal.
Commented Scott Paul, President of the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM):
"Manufacturing lost 3,000 jobs in March, and employment in the industry has changed very little over the past 11 months. I believe we can see a resurgence in manufacturing job growth, but only with the right public policies. The myopic focus of Congress on our fiscal position is backfiring already. The focus must be on jobs. We have a plan to create those jobs—Congress would be well-advised to act on it."
THE #AAMETER
During the 2012 presidential campaign, President Obama set a goal of creating 1 million new manufacturing jobs in his second term. To follow the president's progress, the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) has launched a Jobs Tracker, the #AAMeter.
By using monthly jobs data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), AAM is maintaining a running monthly tally of manufacturing jobs created during the president's second term.
“Manufacturing is the key to a strong middle class, and the American people have made clear that they want ‘Made in America,’” said Paul. “While the American people understand that economic course corrections take time, they want to see growth in manufacturing employment."
In an editorial in USA Today, Paul explained that President Obama can increase employment in the nation’s manufacturing sector if he takes action to hold China accountable for its continued violations of trade agreements, and follows through on campaign pledges to close tax loopholes that encourage outsourcing.
“As hard as it is to believe, the United States is the only major industrial nation that does not have a cohesive national manufacturing strategy,” said Paul. “We’ve outlined steps the president should to help meet his manufacturing jobs goal. If the Administration and Congress show a genuine willingness to act on these common sense policies, we’ll see our Jobs Tracker move toward 1 million jobs gained.”
Click here to visit the #AAMeter.