Why aren't Americans filling the manufacturing jobs we already have? (1 Viewer)

[Ikari]

https://www.npr.org/sections/planet-money/2025/05/13/g-s1-66112/why-arent-americans-filling-the-manufacturing-jobs-we-already-have

This relates to several other threads, but it's an important subject to understand on its own.

"President Trump has been upending the global economy in the name of bringing manufacturing back. President Joe Biden signed into law massive investments aimed at doing something similar. The American manufacturing sector is reviving after decades of decay.

But there's something a bit weird undercutting this movement to reshore factory jobs: American manufacturers say they are struggling to fill the jobs they already have.

According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are nearly half a million open manufacturing jobs right now.
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Part of the story has been a tight labor market. There have been similar worker recruitment and retention issues in other sectors, like construction and transportation. But the shortfall of manufacturing workers is about more than just that — and with both major political parties pushing to reshore manufacturing, analysts expect the industry's workforce issues to get even more challenging.
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The Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte projected that the industry will need 3.8 million additional workers by 2033 and that as many as "1.9 million of these jobs could go unfilled if workforce challenges are not addressed."
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One big reason manufacturers can't fill these jobs overnight is because they require workers to have particular skills. And it's not just skills needed to work on assembly lines. Only around two in five manufacturing jobs are directly involved in making stuff. Manufacturers also employ people to do research and development, engineering, design, finance, sales, marketing, and so on.

Part of the political appeal of bringing manufacturing back is that, historically, they've provided good jobs and career ladders for people without a college education. However, many manufacturing jobs these days actually require college degrees."

Virtually every policy being pursued by the Trump regime will make this issue worse: deporting trained workers and support personnel; gutting incentive programs; undercutting the education system from pre-k to research institutions; bankrupting the companies that employ the majority of these workers.

What are those jobs paying?

 

[Simon W. Moon]

A single mom just bought a house across the street from me a few months ago. No expensive degrees ( 2 years Tidewater community college) She's and my wife are gardening pals, and her 10 year old boy is a golf nut. I take him to the "First Tee" course a couple times a week.
She's been working at the Virginia Beach Stihl factory for 7 years and is now a supervisor in assembly.
Of course the usual lazy ass Debate Politics deadbeat liberals will say it's bullshit.

good for her!​

What do you believe your happy anecdote has to do with ****all?

 

[Port & Starboard]

good for her!​

What do you believe your happy anecdote has to do with ****all?

Duh!

Many factory jobs pay very well.

 

[Simon W. Moon]

Many factory jobs pay very well.

Did someone say zero factory jobs pay well?

Or were you posting this only just in case someone said that zero factory jobs paid well?

 

[BirdinHand]

Duh!

Many factory jobs pay very well

Many pay well. AND, the US has more CURRENT manufacturing jobs THAN WE CAN FILL.

It has been that way for years.

We have been at a full employment economy for years (minus COVID) also.

There was no need to tariff wars.

 

[Port & Starboard]

The problem is that K-12 and most colleges are not preparing our youth for the job market.

Liberals would rather that our youth focus on pronouns, microaggressions, and how bad America is.................................. over reading, shop classes, science, and mathematics.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Only now are Trump's tariffs starting to have some effect on pricing. They had very little effect in April other than psychological and panic buying.

NBC reports, " Consumer prices climbed last month at the slowest pace since February 2021, as the inflationary effects of President Donald Trump's tariffs had yet to hit Americans' wallets.

"The latest inflation reading is "likely a welcome reprieve for the Fed; however, the larger tariff-related price adjustments are likely to come over the next few months," Goldman Sachs analysts said in a note to clients Tuesday."

We have the largest economy on the planet. We have record low unemployment. We have manageable inflation.

Republicans, what problems are you trying to solve?

Republicans do not have an answer. Too bad. They are in charge for now, and they have no idea what they are doing.

That explains their silence.

 

[Simon W. Moon]

The problem is that K-12 and most colleges are not preparing our youth for the job market.
Liberals would rather that our youth focus on pronouns, microaggressions, and how bad America is.................................. over reading, shop classes, science, and mathematics.

you post is unsourced and baseless bullshit

 

[BirdinHand]

The problem is that K-12 and most colleges are not preparing our youth for the job market.

Liberals would rather that our youth focus on pronouns, microaggressions, and how bad America is.................................. over reading, shop classes, science, and mathematics.

When was the last time you took an actual look at what a school aged kid is learning?

Honest question.


I’m not talking about what you heard on a tv or on the internet - I’m talking 1st hand experience with what a kid is ACTUALLY learning in school in 2025.

 

[Lursa]

The problem is that K-12 and most colleges are not preparing our youth for the job market.

Liberals would rather that our youth focus on pronouns, microaggressions, and how bad America is.................................. over reading, shop classes, science, and mathematics.

This administration could mandate change and create policy to do that then. Instead, they said they are dismantling the Dept of Ed and letting states just go off on their own agendas. Right? Seems like they're either not in agreement with your, or dont care. Which do you think it is? Both maybe?

 

[Airyaman]

A single mom just bought a house across the street from me a few months ago. No expensive degrees ( 2 years Tidewater community college) She's and my wife are gardening pals, and her 10 year old boy is a golf nut. I take him to the "First Tee" course a couple times a week.

She's been working at the Virginia Beach Stihl factory for 7 years and is now a supervisor in assembly.

Of course the usual lazy ass Debate Politics deadbeat liberals will say it's bullshit.

What does your anecdotal little story have to do with this thread?

 

[Grand Mal]

Then why have liberals failed so badly at education?

Because you all suck at it just like you do with crime, immigration, and everything else you touch.

What the hell is wrong with the right? All you guys do is whinge about how 'liberals' **** up education. Where are the conservative educators? Why dont rightists get university degrees that involve public service? **** sakes. Either get involved or stop moaning about the job the people who do get involved are doing,
Buncha goddam Karens.

 

[Grand Mal]

A single mom just bought a house across the street from me a few months ago. No expensive degrees ( 2 years Tidewater community college) She's and my wife are gardening pals, and her 10 year old boy is a golf nut. I take him to the "First Tee" course a couple times a week.

She's been working at the Virginia Beach Stihl factory for 7 years and is now a supervisor in assembly.

Of course the usual lazy ass Debate Politics deadbeat liberals will say it's bullshit.

She was working when her son was three? Was she single then? Because the cost of childcare prevents lots of single mothers going to work.

 

[Gimmesometruth]

During the Pandemic, people got quite a bit of cash, and that may have caused the drop in the Labor Force Participation Rate.

Oh my. The drop in the LFPR during covid was due to...COVID. It fell from 63% to 60% when unemployment peaked at 14%.

(That change reflects a number of people who are of working age but aren't working or looking for work.)

The LFPR is a measure of people capable of being employed AND those looking for work.

Not employed/not looking (disgruntled) is measured by U-4

But since then prices have gone up about 25%, and some of those folks may be feeling the pinch. In March, 500,000 people rejoined the labor force.

from Feb '25 to March '25, the LFPR declined.

All of that tells us that there are experienced people who, for some reason, choose not to work.

If you are still talking about post covid, it took 2 years to recover from the job losses of 2020, and the recovery was the best ever.

The right incentives, and the availability of the right jobs, might get them back on the job.

From 2015 to covid, LFPR was in the 62% range, we are back to that level currently.

Additionally, of course, the fact is that the people who can and are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in new or expanded manufacturing facilities aren't stupid. They don't build factories for them to sit idle. Maybe they're smarter than people who sit in offices and "study" the issue.

the reality is that CHIPS spurred investment:

The United States has experienced a striking surge in construction spending for manufacturing facilities. Real manufacturing construction spending has doubled since the end of 2021 (Figure 1).[1] The surge comes in a supportive policy environment for manufacturing construction: the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and CHIPS Act each provided direct funding and tax incentives for public and private manufacturing construction.

https://home.treasury.gov/news/featured-stories/unpacking-the-boom-in-us-construction-of-manufacturing-facilities

That was then, now it is mostly "announcements". Lets see what happens....right?

EDIT forgot to mention, Don cut funding for the IIJA and IRA...

 

[BirdinHand]

What the hell is wrong with the right? All you guys do is whinge about how 'liberals' **** up education. Where are the conservative educators? Why dont rightists get university degrees that involve public service? **** sakes. Either get involved or stop moaning about the job the people who do get involved are doing,
Buncha goddam Karens.

I’m convinced that the majority of those who whine about education constantly have little to no actual first-hand experience with what kids are actually learning in schools.

 

[Lord Tammerlain]

As this college year draws to a close, I hope that within the next few years the 5-6000 new graduates of liberal arts programs will realize that there are only about 1500 new barista jobs open in any given year and that the concept of a 'living wage' is just a leftist fairy tale...and at some point...those people will realize they need to find a real job.

Gosh darn it parents have zero respect don't they

Why they can't help influence which program their kids go into. Why that is unheard of

Besides, if it ain't in the Bible it ain't worth learning about. Education only turns people into ivory tower elitists anyway

 

[Gimmesometruth]

This is just another example of shortsidedness among many Americans who expect change can occur overnight.

Well, you know, this was all set in motion by a choice some people made on one particular day....

 

[SNOWFLAKE]

Because you all suck at it just like you do with crime, immigration, and everything else you touch.

Hmm, an insult and personal attack wins the day for you, does it?

 

[SNOWFLAKE]

The problem is that K-12 and most colleges are not preparing our youth for the job market.

ACTUALLY they are. For modern jobs, in tech industries. The ole fashion factory job ain't coming back in a big way like you believe it will. It's a wet dream. Anyone with an ounce of sagacity (something seriously missing on the Right) would recognize Americans need better education on technology, science, innovation, and digital literacy. Those who get THAT education will have jobs. Those who drop out, whine a lot, run around wishing coal jobs would come back, are gonna be losers. Get it?

 

[SNOWFLAKE]

you post is unsourced and baseless bullshit

I have read some senseless blather, but I suspect those who whine about colleges had neither the fortitude nor the intellect to make it into college.

 

[JMR]

A single mom just bought a house across the street from me a few months ago. No expensive degrees ( 2 years Tidewater community college) She's and my wife are gardening pals, and her 10 year old boy is a golf nut. I take him to the "First Tee" course a couple times a week.

She's been working at the Virginia Beach Stihl factory for 7 years and is now a supervisor in assembly.

Of course the usual lazy ass Debate Politics deadbeat liberals will say it's bullshit.

A woman became the supervisor.....must be a DEI hire.

How many people does she supervise? That's how many people she works with don't make a good salary.

 

[mike2810]

Because public schools have failed to prepare youth for self supporting futures and rat politics have embraced leftist policies that essentially mentally crippled about half of the workforce and convinced them that 1-they are incapable of providing for themselves and 2-they dont have to.

Cut off the free government handouts to the crippled dependent leftists and see how long it takes before they either find work or ****ing starve.

/sarcasm
I suspect that there are many right leaning, independents that have not nor would consider working in manufacturing. It is not just "leftists"
/sarcasm off

Trump wants more manufacturing in the US. He says it will make America "rich". Yet Trump does not identify who will get "rich". I suspect it is not the line worker.

 

[VanceMack]

Gosh darn it parents have zero respect don't they

Why they can't help influence which program their kids go into. Why that is unheard of

Besides, if it ain't in the Bible it ain't worth learning about. Education only turns people into ivory tower elitists anyway

Many parents have abandoned their role as leaders in their homes and turned over that responsibility to schools. I agree...it would be preferable.

 

[Lord Tammerlain]

Many parents have abandoned their role as leaders in their homes and turned over that responsibility to schools. I agree...it would be preferable.

So instead of blaming the parents or the students for poor choices you blame schools especially post secondary ( of which many are private for profit) who are only meeting the demand for what the students will pay for

STEM classes are hard, the pay right out of school is poor, heck I have BSCs making less than unskilled plant workers. So I can see why many students don't want to take STEM classes.

Heck 50% of STEM classes in US universities have 50% international students

 

[VanceMack]

So instead of blaming the parents or the students for poor choices you blame schools especially post secondary ( of which many are private for profit) who are only meeting the demand for what the students will pay for

STEM classes are hard, the pay right out of school is poor, heck I have BSCs making less than unskilled plant workers. So I can see why many students don't want to take STEM classes.

Heck 50% of STEM classes in US universities have 50% international students

Its a cooperative effort to be sure.

I agree. The schools that do focus on education and STEM programs do a much better job than the schools that focus on Marxist indoctrination and infecting 6 year olds with LGBTQQPDHIJEDIJHSJ+ lunacy. And sure...as I said...I agree the parents hold responsibility as well.