Under President Biden the U.S. has added 696,000 manufacturing jobs across the country and in key supply-chain industries
The U.S. has added 696,000 manufacturing jobs in the 20 months since President Biden came into office. Notably, almost every congressional district and almost every state added manufacturing jobs during this period. By comparison, in the 20 months preceding the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. added just 92,000 manufacturing jobs and 13 states lost manufacturing jobs.
Key supply-chain sectors, which are critical for domestic production and manufacturing, have also seen strong job gains. Employment in transportation and warehousing has more than fully recovered from the coronavirus recession: There are now 734,000 more jobs in this sector than in February 2020. The construction sector has also regained more than all the jobs lost during the pandemic, with 95,000 more people employed in September 2022 than in February 2020.While supply-chain disruptions continue to contribute to elevated inflation, several measures of supply-chain pressures have begun to ease in recent months.
Major companies have recently announced significant investments in American manufacturing, including massive new semiconductor manufacturing facilities. Increasing U.S. production of semiconductors is particularly important because they are essential for a wide variety of products, including cars and trucks, smart phones and medical devices like hearing aids and pacemakers. In Ohio, Intel is investing $20 billion to build one of the largest semiconductor facilities in the world, expected to create 10,000 jobs, and Micron announced a $40 billion investment to significantly increase U.S. market share of memory chips. Firms are expanding their operations despite economic headwinds, and the CHIPS and Science Act will further support domestic semiconductor production and innovation.
Manufacturing jobs are a pathway to the middle class for American families, but the U.S. had previously experienced a decades-long decline in manufacturing
Manufacturing jobs have traditionally provided secure, high-paying jobs for workers without a college degree. Manufacturing jobs often provide better pay, more consistent hours and stronger worker protections than retail or other service industries. The loss of high-quality manufacturing jobs was a major reason the median income of working-class men fell by 20% between 1990 and 2013. Congress and President Biden have prioritized rebuilding America’s manufacturing base to create good-paying jobs and bring supply chains back to the U.S.
Decades of outsourcing have eroded domestic manufacturing jobs and made the U.S. reliant on imports for many manufactured goods. Manufacturing has long been a core strength of the American economy, but increasing global competition has threatened many of these high-quality jobs. In the two decades before the pandemic, the United States lost more than a quarter of all domestic manufacturing jobs, a decline of about 4.5 million. Increased competition from China led to an estimated 985,000 American manufacturing jobs lost between 1999 and 2011. Nationwide growth in manufacturing has reversed this trend, and the U.S. has added 696,000 manufacturing jobs since President Biden came into office.
Investments made by Congress and the Biden administration in manufacturing and domestic production are fueling manufacturing job growth, reversing decades of decline
Historic investments in domestic manufacturing and cutting-edge technology provided by the CHIPS and Science Act will spur innovation and support new jobs. Investments made by the CHIPS and Science Act in semiconductor production, which total over $50 billion, could lead to 19 new advanced fabrication facilities in the U.S. over a decade and create new jobs in in manufacturing, construction and technology. Specifically, the CHIPS and Science Act invests $39 billion to bring essential semiconductor manufacturing back to the U.S. and $13 billion to develop and produce cutting-edge semiconductors domestically. It also provides support for programs that help American manufacturers stay competitive and authorizes an additional $174 billion investment in research and innovation.
Through targeted tax credits, the Inflation Reduction Act incentivizes domestic clean energy manufacturing, creating jobs and helping reduce energy costs. The Inflation Reduction Act will help spur growth in clean energy manufacturing through tax credits for clean technologies, such as wind, solar and battery components manufactured in the U.S. It also incentivizes the next generation of clean energy innovation by doubling the research and development tax credit for small businesses. Moody’s Analytics estimates the Act will save an average household $300 each year on their energy bills.
The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is funding infrastructure investments that will create jobs and help American businesses thrive. By investing $550 billion in new spending on essential infrastructure, the bipartisan Infrastructure Act reverses years of inadequate federal investment in critical infrastructure such as roads, bridges, rail, broadband, airports, cargo ports and water pipelines. Investing in U.S. infrastructure will reduce costs for businesses, facilitate domestic commerce and create jobs. American manufacturers will get the benefit of more efficient, cost-effective and reliable supply chains thanks to new and improved U.S. infrastructure.
