WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. manufacturing employment increased by 72,000 jobs during the first nine months of 2026, while factory output, industrial investment and goods exports expanded, according to a report from the White House Council of Economic Advisers that credits President Donald Trump’s trade and tax policies with strengthening domestic production.
The 14-page report, The State of American Manufacturing, draws on federal employment, industrial production, economic output and trade statistics to assess manufacturing performance during Trump’s second term.
The administration attributes the gains to tariffs, investment incentives and policies intended to encourage companies to expand domestic manufacturing operations. The report combines government economic indicators with corporate investment commitments and examples of individual business expansions.
Manufacturing employment increased primarily in durable goods industries, which added 101,000 jobs during 2026, according to the council’s analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Metal production accounted for 21,000 additional jobs, while transportation equipment manufacturing added 17,000.
The report contrasts those increases with a decline of more than 200,000 manufacturing jobs during the final two years of former President Joe Biden’s administration.
Its employment figures show average monthly manufacturing job gains of approximately 8,000 in 2026, compared with average monthly losses of 9,000 in 2025 and 15,000 in 2024.
Manufacturing activity also strengthened according to the S&P Global U.S. Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index, which reached 55.9 in September, its highest reading since Trump returned to office.
The council reported that the index had remained in expansion territory for 14 consecutive months through September. Readings above 50 indicate expanding manufacturing activity.
Federal Reserve industrial production data cited in the report showed growth across several manufacturing industries.
Semiconductor and printed circuit board production increased 22% year over year, while business vehicle manufacturing rose 16.1% and transit equipment production increased 11.2%.
Computer and electronic products manufacturing grew 8.7%, defense and space equipment production increased 7.1%, and machinery manufacturing advanced 6.3%.
The report also identified a 4.2% increase in aerospace and miscellaneous transportation equipment production.
Economic output figures showed manufacturing growth during the second quarter of 2026, with value added increasing 8.3% in durable goods manufacturing and 9.5% in nondurable goods manufacturing from a year earlier.
Mining value added increased 31% over the same period.
Private investment also accelerated. Real private fixed investment grew at a 6.9% annualized rate during the first half of 2026, compared with annual growth of 3.8% in 2025 and 2.3% in 2024, according to the council’s analysis of Bureau of Economic Analysis data.
Construction employment increased by approximately 100,000 jobs since January 2025, while employment in nonresidential specialty trades rose by about 111,000.
The administration cited those construction figures as evidence of expanding industrial infrastructure, although the specialty-trades employment category encompasses work beyond factory construction.
The report also highlighted corporate investment commitments in semiconductor production, pharmaceuticals and automotive manufacturing.
Micron Technology committed $250 billion to memory-chip facilities in Idaho, Virginia and New York, while Apple outlined $600 billion in U.S. investment.
Pharmaceutical companies GSK and Gilead Sciences reported investment plans totaling $30 billion and $11 billion, respectively, while Stellantis committed $13 billion to U.S. operations.
The council characterized those commitments as part of more than $11 trillion in investment associated with Trump’s economic agenda. The commitments represent announced investment plans rather than a measure of completed capital spending.
The report also pointed to provisions allowing businesses to immediately deduct qualifying capital expenditures as an incentive for expansion.
Munson Boats, a Washington-based aluminum boat manufacturer, resumed a previously postponed expansion that added 6,000 square feet of production space and 15 jobs, according to the report.
Iowa-based equipment manufacturer Vermeer indicated that immediate deductions for capital spending would support investment in machinery and the potential addition of 150 to 200 jobs.
The council also reported increases in inflation-adjusted earnings for manufacturing and construction workers.
Its analysis of August 2026 wage data showed annualized real earnings for manufacturing workers increased by $1,945 since Trump took office, including a $2,486 increase for production and nonsupervisory employees.
Construction workers experienced an annualized real earnings increase of $2,883, rising to $3,824 for employees excluding managers and supervisors.
Across all private-sector workers, annualized inflation-adjusted earnings increased by $791, according to the report.
Manufacturing job openings increased 25% over the preceding year, while layoffs declined 25% and overtime hours increased approximately 5.3%, the council reported.
International trade figures provided another measure of industrial activity.
U.S. goods exports reached a monthly record of $220 billion in April 2026, according to the report, while exports during the first eight months of the year increased 15% compared with the corresponding period in 2025.
Exports of industrial supplies and materials increased 26%, while capital goods exports excluding automobiles rose 14%.
Within capital goods, computer exports increased 46%, semiconductor exports rose 26%, and exports of computer accessories climbed 52%.
Civilian aircraft exports increased 16%, while exports of civilian aircraft engines rose 19%.
The council also reported a 39% increase in capital goods imports excluding automobiles, including a 95% increase in computer imports and an 84% increase in semiconductor imports.
Consumer goods imports declined 20% over the comparison period.
The administration interpreted the shift toward capital goods imports as evidence of investment in domestic production capacity, with imported machinery and equipment supporting manufacturing expansion.
The report presents the employment, production, investment and trade figures as evidence that administration policies are encouraging companies to expand U.S. operations.
While those indicators document changes in manufacturing activity, the report’s attribution of the gains to specific trade and tax policies reflects the council’s assessment rather than a separate causal analysis isolating the effects of individual policies.
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