•Press Release
June 19, 2018
For Immediate Release: June 19, 2018
Contact: Karen Conner, 202-293-5380 x117, [email protected]
Washington, D.C. — Employment in the blue collar jobs industries of manufacturing, construction, and the combined mining and logging sectors grew by 47,000 in May.
By region, the Southeast and Southwest both saw manufacturing employment increase by 0.3 percent last month (7,200 and 4,400 jobs respectively). Over the past year, the Southwest has experienced more manufacturing job growth in percent and absolute terms than any other region, at 3.1 percent or 39,700 jobs.
Several states saw increases in construction employment in May. The number of construction jobs grew by 1.5 percent (2,300 jobs) in Louisiana; 1.6 percent in Michigan (2,700 jobs); 3.1 percent (900 jobs) in Maine; 3.2 percent (600 jobs) in Rhode Island; and 8.7 percent (2,100 jobs) in North Dakota.
The mining and logging industry gained 4,000 jobs in May, an increase of 0.5 percent. The majority of these jobs were in support activities for mining. These jobs include contract and fee-based work, such as surveying and service unit operation.
Manufacturing, which saw significant job losses during the Great Recession, has recovered a large share of jobs lost. However, many of these jobs have come from a surge in employment in the South and West rather than the former industrial belt of the Midwest.
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