Some 12,838,000 million Americans held manufacturing jobs in April 2019. That’s 12 percent more than in April 2010, it’s the highest total since December 2008. Overall, the U.S. unemployment rate fell to 3.6 percent in April 2019—the lowest jobless rate since December 1969.
As great as those numbers are, they could be even better. Talk to manufacturers anywhere in the country, and they’ll tell you their top challenge is the inability to attract skilled workers.