September 1, 2017 Manufacturing Sees Big August Jobs Gains

Amid a strong second quarter of economic expansion, the manufacturing sector gained 36,000 jobs in August.

Wait, where are the robots?

The manufacturing sector gained 36,000 jobs in August, according to the latest employment data from the Labor Department. These factory jobs gains, led by automotive and appliance sales, come amid a strong second quarter of economic expansion.

Said Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) President Scott Paul:

“Did the robot revolution take the month off?

“Adding 36,000 new factory jobs in August is good news for American workers. For the first time in a long time, manufacturing punched above its weight in the job market, accounting for 23 percent of total job growth. There’s great potential for continued manufacturing job growth – but only if we get the policy right.

“How can we keep up the momentum? Pass an infrastructure bill with strong Buy America preferences to put more people back to work. The administration must also invest in training the workers of the future, move forward with rebalancing trade, and hold China accountable.”

The Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) is a non-profit, non-partisan partnership formed in 2007 by some of America’s leading manufacturers and the United Steelworkers. Our mission is to strengthen American manufacturing and create new private-sector jobs through smart public policies. We believe that an innovative and growing manufacturing base is vital to America’s economic and national security, as well as to providing good jobs for future generations. AAM achieves its mission through research, public education, advocacy, strategic communications, and coalition building around the issues that matter most to America’s manufacturers and workers.

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