The nation’s blue collar jobs grew by 0.3 percent in July, adding 52,000 jobs in construction, manufacturing, and mining and logging. Manufacturing accounted for much of the gains in blue collar employment as the industry added 37,000 jobs, mainly in durable good, according to a new analysis from the Center for Economic and Policy Research.
Manufacturing Leads Increase in Blue Collar Employment
Although employment in iron mills, steel mills, and ferroalloy production (a component of durable goods) increased 0.6 percent over the most recent three months, it is too early to determine the impact of US steel tariffs.
In the three states that track iron, steel, and ferroalloy jobs data on a monthly basis, the change in employment was -1.3 percent in Ohio and no change in Pennsylvania and Texas over the most recent three months. Click here for an interactive graph showing the three-month percentage change since the recession in iron and steel mills and ferroalloy production jobs.
Blue Collar Jobs Tracker will continue to follow these and other employment trends regularly.