•Press Release
October 23, 2018
Contact: Karen Conner, (202) 293-5380 x117, [email protected]
Washington DC — At the national level, manufacturing gained 18,000 jobs in September. With the upward revision of the August manufacturing totals from -3,000 to +5,000, the percent change in manufacturing employment has averaged 0.1 percent in manufacturing over the last three months, according to analysis by the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR).
Job growth was mixed for the combined blue collar sectors of construction, manufacturing, and mining and logging. (This mixed performance may be viewed on our Blue Collar Jobs Tracker map.) Missouri saw the largest percent increase last month, at 0.9 percent (3,600 jobs), and Texas saw the largest increase in the number of jobs, at 8,400 (0.4 percent). Conversely, New Jersey saw a decrease of 0.4 percent (-1,700) in blue collar employment, and California’s blue collar jobs slipped down by 3,400 jobs.
BCJT is keeping a particularly close eye on mining and logging industries, which grew by 5,000 jobs in September at the national level. The gains in this sector continue to be buoyed by the contract work in support for mining activities. Nationally, these jobs are 2.7 percent of total nonfarm employment and 3.6 percent of blue collar employment.
For a detailed analysis of the major blue collar industries of manufacturing, construction, mining, and logging, see Blue Collar Jobs Tracker. Each month, this site is updated with the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics state level jobs data in these industries.
