The Richwood Report

Interesting analysis of the trend of American manufacturing over the last twenty years or so. One key points was that while the number of jobs in manufacturing are down(about 14 million now from 17 million in 1998), wages are up and women are a greater percentage of manufacturing workers now than they were ten years ago. (Although the total number of women employed is smaller.) Another factor we have mentioned here before that is repeated in the article is the importance of skilled manufacturing workers in the future. Technically trained employees are becoming a scarce resource and will become more so:

However, as production becomes more specialized and more reliant on precision machining, there is concern of a widening skills gap between what young people are learning in school and the specific needs of manufacturers. According to a NAM/Deloitte Consulting study, 80% of manufacturers anticipate a shortage of skilled production workers over the next couple years, while 35% believe there will also be shortage of scientists and engineers.

Finally, the U.S. remains the world leader in manufacturing. Even with fewer workers, improvements in efficiency and productivity allow the American economy to stay in the lead.

In any event, the United States remains the largest manufacturer in the world in terms of total output, and while the country faces numerous challenges both domestic and abroad, that No. 1 status is not likely to change any time soon.