COVID-19 has taken its toll on basically everyone—across all industries. According to The New York Times, there have been up to 12.5M cases and 258K deaths. And we are embarking quickly into another brutal wave of the virus, with medical professionals warning of a “dark winter.”

With all of this happening, it’s not surprising that many industries are suffering layoffs, loss of business and more. However, the manufacturing industry is adding jobs—as many as 38,000. In this article, we will cover the boost in manufacturing jobs. Let’s get started.

The Winners 

While manufacturing jobs are up as a whole, some parts of it are doing better than others. One such section that is adding jobs is the makers of durable goods, according to SME. The publication also reported job gains in primary metals, which increased by 6,000; machinery, which increased by 3,900; and miscellaneous manufactory, which increased by 2,100.

The Losers

The main loser of the month was transportation equipment, which has taken a hit due to a sharp decrease in travel. According to SME, it decreased by 2,400 jobs. Air travel especially has been significantly affected due to COVID-19, meaning aerospace manufacturing has also decreased. However, Thanksgiving travel helped these areas see increases. In fact, airports reported seeing the most travelers they have seen since March, despite the CDC recommending that they should have stayed at home. 

Overall Manufacturing Trend

So, how do these numbers compare to where they were before COVID-19 gripped the nation? Overall, COVID-19 has taken a chunk out of manufacturing jobs. SME reports that employment in the manufacturing industry is down 621,000 from February. However, before COVID-19, manufacturing jobs were at 12.81 million in October of 2019.

Contact Custom Tool & Grinding

We hope you are staying safe and healthy this holiday season! To learn more about how Custom Tool & Grinding can help your manufacturing plant by providing custom made tools, contact us here.