According to the latest job numbers released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, manufacturing employment declined by 4,000 in February, decreasing for the first time since April 2021. Despite pulling back slightly, manufacturing employment has risen sharply over the past couple of years. There were 12,983,000 workers in February, just shy of January’s reading, which was the best since November 2008. As the National Association of Manufacturers’ latest Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey reinforces, manufacturers continue to cite the inability to attract and retain workers as their top concern.
Female employment in manufacturing reached its height this year, with a total of 3.77 million workers, according to NAM calculations based on BLS numbers. Women now account for 29 percent of the manufacturing workforce. A year ago this week, the Manufacturing Institute, the NAM’s 501(c)3 workforce development and education affiliate, launched its 35x30 campaign, an initiative that aims to boost women’s share of the manufacturing workforce to 35 percent by 2030. This latest data shows the impact that the 35x30 campaign is making to increase the number of women in the industry.
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