Hiring in U.S. Manufacturing Struggles in July

The latest employment summary from the U.S. Department of Labor reports hiring in the U.S. manufacturing sector slowed significantly in July 2023. In this article, we'll examine the latest data from the Labor Department, exploring manufacturing job losses and gains by specific subsector. 

U.S. Manufacturing Job Changes in July 2023

U.S. manufacturers lost 2,000 net jobs in July, following a 7,000-job gain in June. This is according to the latest jobs report from the Labor Department issued August 4th.

Meanwhile, the U.S. economy added 187,000 jobs overall in July, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 3.5%. 

Additionally, the latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover survey finds U.S. manufacturers are still struggling to hire, though overall number of job openings in manufacturing has declined. The Labor Department recorded 577,000 unfilled positions for the sector in June, compared to 588,000 open positions reported in May.

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Wondering which manufacturing industries gained and lost jobs in June? In this post, we’ll explore the most recent manufacturing numbers from the Labor Department, providing gains and losses by specific subsector.

The Manufacturing Sectors That Lost Jobs in July 2023

In July, losses were led the non-durable goods industries, which shed 10,000 jobs, offsetting a 8,000-job gain in durable goods.

The U.S. chemicals industry led July’s manufacturing job losses, shedding 4,600 jobs. Food manufacturing also took a hit, losing 3,200 jobs. Metal fabricators shed 2,700 jobs, while wood products lost 1,700. Apparel manufacturing lost 1,400 jobs and textile mills lost another 1,000.

The Manufacturing Industries That Gained Jobs in June 2023

Job gains were mostly seen in the durable goods side and were strongest in transportation equipment manufacturing, which rose by 5,600 jobs.

This was followed by computer and electronic product manufacturing, which added 2,500 jobs and primary metals manufacturing, which gained 1,700. Other manufacturing sectors adding jobs included navigational and measuring instruments, up 1,500 jobs and miscellaneous manufacturing, up 1,300.

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