Manufacturing job growth has sped-up modestly in the U.S. during the past two years, but these gains have not been equal in all parts of the country, with the sector showing greater strength in western states and weakness in the northeast.
That’s according to a new report from the think tank Economic Innovation Group. The sector has steadily added jobs since 2010, the authors note. But even if current trends continue it would take over 20 years for manufacturing employment levels to return to where they were in 2000.
Average annual job growth edged up to 1.3% during the first two years of President Trump’s time in office, from around 1.2% between 2010 and 2016. This uptick, the researchers say, translates to an average of about 30,000 additional jobs added annually.
Between 2016 and 2018, the manufacturing sector added about 335,000 jobs, which is the largest sum added over a two-year period since 2012, the report says. Food and beverage manufacturing exhibited particularly healthy growth, adding 93,000 jobs.