About 13 million people currently work in U.S. factories, according to WSJ. Roughly 65% of American manufacturers struggled to secure talent, about 100,000 positions went unfilled each month for most of 2024, and about 1.9 million of the 3.8 million manufacturing job openings between 2024 and 2033 could go unfilled, a National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) survey cited by the outlet revealed.
“They’re shaky, they’re flaky,” Jones’s son and chief operating officer Ryan, 39, told WSJ of many of the younger workers. “There’s not a lot of high percentage chances that they’re going to stick around.”
Jones’s Louisville, Kentucky-headquartered family-run plastics company is among many manufacturers that are reportedly struggling to find additional skilled workers.
Japanese machinery-maker Kubota Tractor, IKEA and Lego are among the manufacturers planning reshoring or strategic onshoring moves, the WSJ reported. New semiconductor and electric vehicle battery manufacturing plants supported by federal grants are set to be established in Ohio, Nevada, Georgia, Idaho, Arizona, Texas, and other states over the next few years.
Some U.S. steelmakers have also expressed support for Trump’s tariff proposals, believing that the tariffs will bring about higher profit, an enhanced competitive edge, and job growth. (RELATED: Multi-Billion Dollar Shoe Company Speeds Up Shifting Production Out Of China Following Trump Victory)
American manufacturers are planning to reshore production from Asia back to the Americas ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s return to office, seemingly in part due to his trade policy and global instability ushered in by the Biden administration.
