SAN FRANCISCO—A new podcast series called TalkShop encourages students to explore alternative career paths.

WASHINGTON--According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. manufacturers added 31,000 workers in February, and the manufacturing sector has increased employment by 264,264 workers since the end of 2016. Current manufacturing employment is 12.61 million employees, which is the highest level since December 2008.

CHAMPAIGN, IL—For years, employers, pundits and policymakers alike have bemoaned the lack of qualified workers available to fill vacant manufacturing jobs in the U.S. However, a new study indicates that demand for higher-level skills in U.S. manufacturing jobs is generally modest, and three-quarters of U.S. manufacturing plants show no sign of hiring difficulties for open positions.

ROLLING MEADOWS, IL—The Association for Manufacturing Excellence has created an on-line manufacturing job board on its Web site as a resource for both job seekers and employers across the country.

KNOXVILLE, TN—Innovative manufacturers are targeting schools to let young people know there’s more to manufacturing than pulling levers on an assembly line.

WASHINGTON—Fewer Americans filed applications for unemployment benefits last week than at any time since before the last recession, indicating bigger gains in hiring will soon follow. Jobless claims decreased by 32,000 to 300,000 in the week ended April 5, the least since May 2007.

WASHINGTON—U.S. employers added jobs at a solid pace in March and hired more in January and February than previously thought. The economy gained 192,000 jobs in March, the Labor Department said Friday, slightly below February’s revised total of 197,000. Employers added a combined 37,000 more jobs in January and February than previously estimated.

WASHINGTON—Jobless claims decreased by 10,000 to 311,000 in the period ended March 22, the fewest since late November, according to the Labor Department. Another report showed the economy grew more rapidly in the fourth quarter than previously estimated as consumer spending rose by the most in three years.

For example, according to the Precision Metalforming Association, 69 percent of U.S. metalworking companies have job openings. However, 91 percent of those companies are experiencing challenges finding qualified employees, and 42 percent describe that difficulty as “severe.”