Manufacturing Adds 38,000 Jobs Despite Overall Employment Loss

The employment rate for manufacturing increased slightly from November, as it added 39,000 jobs in total last month compared to 35,000 in November. Most December layoffs were in the leisure and hospitality sector, which lost 498,000 jobs.

Durable goods manufacturing as a whole added 25,000 jobs. Motor vehicle and parts manufacturing added 6,700 people while the transportation equipment sector as a whole added 5,200. The nonmetallic mineral products manufacturing workforce grew by 6,100 people, and the next largest gain in absolute numbers was the machinery industry.

Nondurable goods contributed 13,000 new jobs. Plastics and rubber products saw the strongest manufacturing jobs growth, with 6,900 new hires, followed by growth in food manufacturing (5,500 new jobs) and apparel (4,000). More jobs in most nondurable goods sectors was offset, though, by substantial losses in the “miscellaneous nondurable goods manufacturing” category, which lost 11,200 people.

More on the story on Industry Week

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