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Washington, D.C. – The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) today released the results of the Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey for the fourth quarter of 2018, which shows manufacturers’ optimism for the year reached the highest level on record in the 20-year history of the survey. On average this year, 92.4 percent of manufacturers surveyed reported a positive outlook for their companies.

The inability to attract and retain a quality workforce remained manufacturers’ top concern (68.2 percent) in the fourth quarter, followed by increased raw material costs and trade uncertainties. The workforce shortage has forced more than one in four manufacturers surveyed to turn down new business opportunities. According to the latest government data, there are now 522,000 open manufacturing jobs in the United States (an all-time high). A new report from The Manufacturing Institute—the NAM’s social-impact arm—and Deloitte projects that 2.4 million manufacturing jobs will go unfilled over the next decade.

Highlights from the fourth quarter survey include the following:

• The majority of manufacturers (88.7 percent) have a positive outlook of their businesses, putting the average for 2018 at 92.4 percent—the highest annual average in the survey’s 20-year history.
• Optimism among small manufacturers remained high at 87.9 percent.
• Manufacturers predict strong growth rates in employee wages (2.3 percent), capital investments (2.6 percent) and sales (4.3 percent) over the next 12 months.
• Attracting and retaining a quality workforce remained manufacturers’ top concern (68.2 percent).
• The inability to attract a quality workforce has forced more than one in four manufacturers to turn down new business opportunities.
• Increased raw material costs and trade uncertainties marked the second- and third-largest challenges for manufacturers, at 65.1 percent and 60.4 percent, respectively.

This year was one for the record books, with manufacturers’ average optimism for 2018 hitting an all-time high, said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons. Empowered by tax reform and regulatory certainty, manufacturers are keeping our promise to expand our operations, hire new workers and raise wages and benefits. But as this survey also shows, we face challenges, most seriously the workforce crisis. We have more than half a million jobs to fill right now—and by 2028, as many as 2.4 million could go unfilled if we don’t equip more Americans to take on these high-tech, high-paying careers.

Conducted by NAM Chief Economist Chad Moutray, the Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey has surveyed the association’s membership of 14,000 large and small manufacturers on a quarterly basis for the past 20 years to gain insight into their economic outlook, hiring and investment decisions and business concerns.

The NAM releases these results to the public each quarter. Further information on the survey is available here.

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The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12 million men and women, contributes $2.25 trillion to the U.S. economy annually, has the largest economic impact of any major sector and accounts for more than three-quarters of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the Manufacturers or to follow us on Shopfloor, Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.

Fort Hood, TX – On November 13, the National Association of Manufacturers’ (NAM) Manufacturing Institute will announce a $1 million investment by a major Texas manufacturer in its Heroes MAKE America servicemember training program. The announcement will be made at a Celebration of Veterans luncheon reception to recognize the service of our nation’s military members. The event will also highlight the accomplishments of the soldiers who have registered for or graduated from the Heroes program.

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The Manufacturing Institute is the social impact arm of the National Association of Manufacturers. We drive programs and research to promote modern manufacturing and jumpstart new approaches to growing manufacturing talent. For more information, please visit www.themanufacturinginstitute.org.

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The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12 million men and women, contributes $2.25 trillion to the U.S. economy annually, has the largest economic impact of any major sector and accounts for more than three-quarters of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the Manufacturers or to follow us on Shopfloor, Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.

Washington, D.C. – On the heels of yet another positive employment report showing 18,000 manufacturing jobs were created in September, theNational Association of Manufacturers (NAM) today released the results of the Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey for the third quarter of 2018. According to the results, optimism among manufacturers remains exceedingly high (92.5 percent) following enactment of tax and regulatory reform and is on pace for the highest yearly reading in the survey’s 20-year history. In addition, the four-quarter average from Q4 2017 through Q3 2018 rose to 93.9 percent—making it the highest one-year average on record.

As thousands of manufacturers host Manufacturing Day events across the country, which President Trump marked with a presidential proclamation, the survey also shows that despite the sustained high level of optimism, the lack of enough skilled workers continues to pose significant challenges for manufacturers’ ability to grow their business. According to the latest government data, there are more than 500,000 open manufacturing jobs in the United States. The inability to attract a quality workforce has forced more than one in four manufacturers surveyed to turn down new business opportunities, while one-third noted that they held off on plans to hire more workers due to workforce constraints. Nearly half of manufacturers surveyed cited this workforce crisis as the number-one threat facing their business.

Highlights from the Q3 survey include the following:

• The vast majority of manufacturers (92.5 percent) in Q3 said they have a positive outlook for their businesses, putting manufacturers’ optimism for 2018 on track to be the highest annual average in the survey’s 20-year history.
• The four-quarter rolling average inched up to a record-high 93.9 percent.
• Optimism among small manufacturers increased from 89.5 percent in Q2 to 91.3 percent in Q3.
• Projected wage growth remained at the fastest pace in 17 years.
• Attracting and retaining a quality workforce remained the top concern among manufacturers (73.2 percent).
• The inability to attract a quality workforce has forced more than one in four manufacturers to turn down new business opportunities, while one-third noted that they held off on plans to hire more workers due to workforce constraints.

Tax reform and regulatory relief have spurred strong manufacturing growth, and manufacturers are now investing in our communities, hiring more Americans and raising wages and benefits, said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons. Amid all this good news, it is no surprise that manufacturers in 2018 are more optimistic than they have ever been in the history of our survey. Still, with the workforce crisis being manufacturers’ most widely cited challenge, the NAM and our Manufacturing Institute are tackling the issue head on—launching the Heroes MAKE America training program on military bases to equip soldiers with the skills to join the manufacturing workforce, expanding vocational training programs in local communities and elevating the examples of successful company-led upskilling programs. Over the long term, we have to focus on the attraction of new talent and inspire the next generation, just as we are on Manufacturing Day.

The NAM will deliver pocket cards with the new survey results to every member of the House and Senate.

Conducted by NAM Chief Economist Chad Moutray, the Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey has surveyed the association’s membership of 14,000 large and small manufacturers on a quarterly basis for the past 20 years to gain insight into their economic outlook, hiring and investment decisions and business concerns.

The NAM releases these results to the public each quarter. Further information on the survey is available here.

-NAM-

 The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12 million men and women, contributes $2.25 trillion to the U.S. economy annually, has the largest economic impact of any major sector and accounts for more than three-quarters of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the Manufacturers or to follow us on Shopfloor, Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.

Washington, D.C. –Today, Jay Timmons, president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM); Carolyn Lee, executive director of the NAM’s Manufacturing Institute; and David Farr, Emerson chairman and CEO and NAM Board chair, marked Manufacturing Day with op-eds stressing the urgency of the industry’s skills gap crisis. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there are 506,000 open manufacturing jobs in the United States—the highest number of open jobs in the sector in the 18-year history of the survey.

Emerson Chairman and CEO and NAM Board Chair David Farr in The Washington Examiner: “For ‘Manufacturing Day,’ Let’s Change Outdated Perceptions About Careers in a Growing Sector”

“Manufacturers across the country, like Emerson, are growing. They’re investing and they’re hiring, due in no small part to pro-growth policies out of Washington like tax reform and critical regulatory reform. And yet, manufacturing’s success is simultaneously fueling a burgeoning crisis which, unless sufficiently addressed, threatens both the future of the industry and our economy as a whole.

“A recent survey by the National Association of Manufacturers tells the story. It found more than 90 percent of manufacturers expressing optimism about the future and nearly as many, about 75 percent, expressing deep concerns about their ability to attract and retain a quality workforce moving forward.

“Inspiring more Americans to imagine themselves as manufacturing workers may be the top challenge facing America’s most iconic industry, but it’s also one that NAM is working hard to overcome. One of the ways we’re doing so is through one of our most impactful initiatives, Manufacturing Day, which kicks off across the country today.

“MFG Day is when thousands of manufacturers and technical schools around the country open their doors to parents, teachers and, most importantly, students to show them the reality of modern manufacturing. A wide array of companies put on presentations of all kinds, from rocket launches to augmented reality apps, all with the goal of bringing modern manufacturing to life.”

NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons and Manufacturing Institute Executive Director Carolyn Lee in Industry Week: Manufacturing Is “High-Tech, Hands-On and Fulfilling”

“Those of us who are parents want nothing more than to ensure our children are ‘better off’ than we are. We want our kids to build a promising career that allows them to do meaningful work and raise a family. The hard part is helping them figure out how to do that.

“Here’s what too many parents don’t know: The answer can often be modern manufacturing. A career in modern manufacturing is high paying—and often does not require a debt-inducing four-year college degree. The average manufacturing employee earns about 25% more in pay and benefits than the average worker across all industries. The work itself is high tech, hands-on and fulfilling. Today’s manufacturing companies are technology companies, relying on coders, programmers, technicians and more to keep production running.

“But you don’t have to take our word for it. October 5 is national Manufacturing Day. Across the country, manufacturers will open their doors to show parents, teachers, students and community members the incredible work that’s going on in their local area. They will showcase the modern technology that is at the heart of today’s industry, and employees and company leaders will talk about the products they make—products that are essential to our day-to-day lives and include everything from smart electronics and automobiles to food, medicine, fuel and apparel.

. . . .

“This is a long-term challenge to be sure, but above all, it’s a promising opportunity for young people. And parents should be reassured that modern manufacturing offers what they want for their children: a solid career, a bright future and a chance to be ‘better off.’ See for yourself today and throughout the month at an MFG Day event near you.”

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The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12 million men and women, contributes $2.25 trillion to the U.S. economy annually, has the largest economic impact of any major sector and accounts for more than three-quarters of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the Manufacturers or to follow us on Shopfloor, Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.

Washington, D.C. – On Friday, October 5, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and its social impact arm, The Manufacturing Institute (MI), will hold the seventh-annual Manufacturing Day. The NAM and MI are partnering with manufacturers nationwide to educate the next generation on 21st-century, modern manufacturing opportunities. By opening their doors for nearly 3,000 events across the country, manufacturers will help change perceptions of the industry, which is essential to solving the skills gap crisis. President Donald Trump marked Manufacturing Day with a presidential proclamation highlighting the importance of manufacturing to the American economy.

On Manufacturing Day, manufacturers across the nation will open their doors and minds to students, parents, educators and community members to reveal the truths of 21st-century, high-tech and well-paying manufacturing careers. Manufacturing optimism and the expected rate of manufacturing job growth is near record highs thanks to bold tax reform, but the industry is also facing a workforce crisis. Manufacturers need the next generation to join the team, said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons, who also serves as board chairman of The Manufacturing Institute. We’re grateful for the generous support of all of our sponsors and excited to work together to show young people the opportunities that exist to create, design and make in America and inspire them to pursue a rewarding career in modern manufacturing.

Manufacturing Day national sponsors include PTC, Ariel Corporation, Cooper Standard, Harley-Davidson, PepsiCo, the Plastics Industry Association, Samsung and Walmart.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there are currently 506,000 open manufacturing jobs in the United States. This is the highest number of open jobs in the sector since the BLS introduced the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey in December 2000.

First held in 2012 and organized by its founder—the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International—Manufacturing Day gives manufacturers the opportunity to address the skills gaps they face, connect with future generations, take charge of the public image of manufacturing and ensure the ongoing prosperity of the industry as a whole. Learn more about Manufacturing Day and the significant impact this event has across the nation here.

-NAM-

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12 million men and women, contributes $2.25 trillion to the U.S. economy annually, has the largest economic impact of any major sector and accounts for more than three-quarters of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the Manufacturers or to follow us on Shopfloor, Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.

Click Here to Watch the Interview

Timmons on Manufacturing Day
“We have 2,600 facilities across the country, some of them at Emerson and other members of the NAM opening their doors to students and their parents today showing them what modern manufacturing is all about … [Augmented Reality], and virtual reality and 3D printing, and all these things. We were lucky to figure out that we could actually fax a piece of paper across the country when I was a kid.”

Farr on Manufacturing Day
“We have over 50 facilities in the United States. And we open up our facilities every year, each day to allow the parents to bring their kids in and encourage them to show what we’re doing in manufacturing. It’s a lot different when I was a young boy, and my dad was a plant manager. He worked for glassworks for 30 some-odd years. I used to walk the floor with my dad. It is completely different today. I mean, there’s a lot more technology. You have to be educated. You have to be skilled. And I think the government understands this, manufacturers understand this, and we are working extremely hard to try to get the workforce trained for the next generation.”

Timmons on Latest NAM Outlook Survey, Skills Gap Crisis
“Three-quarters of manufacturers report that finding skilled labor is their number-one concern. It’s the headwind that we see right now, Contessa. If you look at tax reform and regulatory reform, those are the things that are responsible for that 92 percent positive outlook … Dave is a perfect example of what a company can do and what the leadership of the company can do, but what the federal government is doing is they certainly have lots of training programs and hopefully those are going to be consolidated so that we don’t have 65 different programs. We’re really impressed with the Trump administration’s focus on the apprenticeship program. And a lot of our manufacturers are participating in that as well. So there’s a very large focus on this.”

Read the NAM’s Q3 Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey here, and to learn more about Manufacturing Day, visit MFGDay.com.

-NAM-

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12 million men and women, contributes $2.25 trillion to the U.S. economy annually, has the largest economic impact of any major sector and accounts for more than three-quarters of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the Manufacturers or to follow us on Shopfloor, Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.

Washington, D.C. – The Manufacturing Institute, the social impact arm of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM),and Bayer are joining forces to educate the next generation on 21st-century, modern manufacturing opportunities and inspire and recruit them to become the next generation of manufacturers. As a State-Level sponsor of Manufacturing Day in Kansas, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas, Bayer is providing substantial support for the nation’s largest one-day celebration of manufacturing, which focuses on showing young people, parents and educators the opportunities a career in manufacturing offers.

Manufacturers need the next generation to join the team. We thank our many generous sponsors, like Bayer, who are working together to show young people the future they can create in modern manufacturing, said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons, who also serves as board chairman of The Manufacturing Institute. Our industry is facing a workforce crisis—with far more jobs open than we have people to fill them. It’s a challenge all manufacturers are tackling—but it also presents promising opportunities for those looking for a meaningful, rewarding career.

Bayer Radiology is pleased to support local National Manufacturing Day activities to raise awareness of the importance of the local manufacturing sector and educate future generations of professionals, said Dennis Durmis, Head Commercial Operations Americas Radiology. We are proud of our role in advancing manufacturing and innovation through community sponsorships and job creation; centered around our Pittsburgh-based global Research and Development Center and local manufacturing sites.

Our Manufacturing Day initiative provides so many great opportunities to show young people the endless possibilities of modern manufacturing, and thanks to Bayer’s leadership, I’m confident we’ll be able to inspire even more to picture themselves in an exciting, new manufacturing career. That has never been more important, said Manufacturing Institute Executive Director Carolyn Lee. Manufacturing faces an industry workforce crisis with nearly half a million jobs going unfilled today and millions more projected to go unfilled in the years to come. That’s why The Manufacturing Institute, in concert with good sponsors like Bayer, works so hard every day to promote modern manufacturing and jumpstart new approaches to growing manufacturing talent—especially through important programs like this one.

First held in 2012 and organized by its founder—the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International—Manufacturing Day gives manufacturers the opportunity to address the skills gaps they face, connect with future generations, take charge of the public image of manufacturing and ensure the ongoing prosperity of the industry as a whole. Learn more about Manufacturing Day and the significant impact this event has across the nation here.

-NAM-

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12 million men and women, contributes $2.25 trillion to the U.S. economy annually, has the largest economic impact of any major sector and accounts for more than three-quarters of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the Manufacturers or to follow us on Shopfloor, Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.

Washington, D.C. – The National Association of Manufacturers’ (NAM) Manufacturing Institute Executive Director Carolyn Lee will participate in a special Manufacturing Day event hosted by Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky.

-MI-

The Manufacturing Institute is the social impact arm of the National Association of Manufacturers. We drive programs and research to promote modern manufacturing and jumpstart new approaches to growing manufacturing talent. For more information, please visit www.themanufacturinginstitute.org.

-NAM-

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12 million men and women, contributes $2.25 trillion to the U.S. economy annually, has the largest economic impact of any major sector and accounts for more than three-quarters of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the Manufacturers or to follow us on Shopfloor, Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.

Washington, D.C. – National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) President and CEO Jay Timmons and Manufacturing Institute Executive Director Carolyn Lee will participate in a special Manufacturing Day event hosted by Cooper Standard and Dow for students at the SAY Play Center in Detroit. This is one of 16 events Cooper Standard is hosting across the country as part of Manufacturing Day.

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The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12 million men and women, contributes $2.25 trillion to the U.S. economy annually, has the largest economic impact of any major sector and accounts for more than three-quarters of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the Manufacturers or to follow us on Shopfloor, Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.