The Alliance for American Manufacturing’s President, Scott Paul, joined America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the Bureau of Labor Statistics report on jobs in the manufacturing industry. Paul also discussed public funding for manufacturing and the national trade deficit.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently released its monthly jobs report, which showed that there were over 23,000 jobs created in January 2024. This was good news compared to the 2023annual report from the BLS. Paul discussed how the 2023 numbers were impacted by cuts in spending by corporations. He then explained why the numbers will look better in 2024 and the factors that will significantly impact the availability of new jobs in the industry.
Paul then discussed how public funding increases will impact the manufacturing industry in 2024. Most manufacturers are looking for good, young workers to replace its aging workforce before the worker demand becomes too much. Paul talked about how these workers need to be well-trained to handle the new energy transition at the same time as replacing aging workers. To do this, unions need to be involved, and their apprenticeship programs will be crucial to making these ideas a reality.
The national trade deficit is still problematic, but Paul said the deficits are improving. The best sign of an improvement came in the goods purchased, where the deficit decreased by 10 percent. There are still some areas where the trade deficit continues to create a problem for Americans. One of the areas of watch for Paul is the goods coming from Mexico. He discussed some issues from goods originating in Mexico and how these can impact the American manufacturing industry.
For more on the American manufacturing industry, listen to the show above.
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