On National Manufacturing Day, the Sector Gains Only 4,000 Jobs in September: AAM Statement

Tags Jobs Jobs Statement Trade

The Department of Labor reported this morning that America's manufacturing sector added 4,000 jobs in September. 

But the #AAMeter, which tracks President Obama's promise to create 1 million new manufacturing jobs in his second term, regressed to +189,000 jobs, after negative revisions to August and July's data.

Additionally, the U.S. Commerce Department reported this morning that America's monthly goods trade deficit with China fell slightly to $30.2 billion in August, from an all-time high the month before.

The data marks a disappointing start to National Manufacturing Day, said Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) President Scott Paul:

"The past two months show manufacturing job gains have again stalled, at least temporarily. Numbers like these are a blow to the president’s goal of 1 million new manufacturing jobs in his second term. A large and persistent trade deficit and a paucity of investment in infrastructure are two obstacles that stand in the way of actual progress." 

The #AAMeter: During his re-election campaign, President Obama set a goal of creating 1 million new manufacturing jobs in his second term. AAM continues to track the president’s progress via our monthly manufacturing jobs tracker, the #AAMeter, based on monthly jobs data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.