Washington, D.C. — The economic data in today’s jobs report showing the economy added just 22,000 jobs last month offers more evidence that the American economy is tightening and that manufacturing jobs in particular are declining in response to President Donald Trump’s tariffs, according to a new analysis from the Center for American Progress.
Manufacturing employment has been falling since April, and job growth is slower than it was between January 2024 and August 2024. The timing of the manufacturing declines corresponds with the Trump administration’s disastrous tariff policies, which are projected to cost American households $2,400 annually.
Since President Donald Trump’s tariff announcement in April 2025, overall manufacturing employment has declined by 42,000, while job openings and hires have fallen by 76,000 and 18,000, respectively. The manufacturing sector is struggling more than the rest of the labor market under Trump’s tariffs, and manufacturing workers’ wage growth is stagnating.
Read the analysis: “Trump’s Trade War Squeezes Middle-Class Manufacturing Employment” by Kennedy Andara and Sara Estep
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected].