Globalization has decimated manufacturing employment: U.S. employment by industry, and mean weekly earnings
| Total employment | Employment change | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industries | 1998 (thousands) | 2019 (thousands) | 1998–2019 (thousands) | Percent change, 1998–2019 | Mean weekly earnings* |
| Total | 128,214 | 153,275 | 25,061 | 19.5% | $986 |
| Agriculture, mining, utilities | |||||
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting | 1,373 | 1,565 | 193 | 14.0% | $748 |
| Oil and gas Extraction | 141 | 150 | 9 | 6.6% | $1,846 |
| Mining (except oil and gas) | 424 | 535 | 111 | 26.1% | $1,640 |
| Utilities | 613 | 549 | -64 | -10.5% | $1,468 |
| Construction | 6,149 | 7,492 | 1,343 | 21.8% | $1,066 |
| Manufacturing | |||||
| Food manufacturing | 1,555 | 1,643 | 88 | 5.7% | $848 |
| Beverage and tobacco products |
209 | 286 | 78 | 37.1% | $1,138 |
| Textile mills and textile product mills |
659 | 222 | -437 | -66.3% | $881 |
| Apparel, leather, and allied product manufacturing |
704 | 138 | -567 | -80.4% | $876 |
| Wood product manufacturing | 612 | 409 | -203 | -33.2% | $889 |
| Paper manufacturing | 625 | 365 | -260 | -41.5% | $1,210 |
| Printing and related support activities |
828 | 425 | -403 | -48.7% | $971 |
| Petroleum and coal products | 135 | 115 | -20 | -14.9% | $1,651 |
| Chemical manufacturing | 993 | 850 | -143 | -14.4% | $1,623 |
| Plastics and rubber products manufacturing |
941 | 737 | -204 | -21.7% | $1,032 |
| Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing |
535 | 422 | -114 | -21.2% | $1,025 |
| Iron and steel mills and steel products from purchased steel |
217 | 144 | -73 | -33.5% | $1,160 |
| Nonferrous metals production and foundries |
425 | 241 | -184 | -43.3% | $1,082 |
| Architectural and structural products; boiler, tank, and shipping containers |
504 | 497 | -8 | -1.5% | $1,070 |
| Other fabricated metal products |
1,235 | 995 | -240 | -19.5% | $1,002 |
| Agricultural, construction, commercial and service, and metalworking machinery |
680 | 495 | -185 | -27.2% | $1,310 |
| Engine, turbine, and power transmission equipment |
114 | 100 | -14 | -12.3% | $1,457 |
| HVAC and misc. industrial machinery |
721 | 531 | -189 | -26.3% | $1,192 |
| Computer and peripheral equipment |
322 | 163 | -159 | -49.4% | $2,110 |
| Communications and audio and video equipment |
291 | 104 | -187 | -64.4% | $1,759 |
| Navigational measuring, electromedical, and control instruments |
509 | 424 | -85 | -16.7% | $1,590 |
| Semiconductor and other electronic components; reproducing magnetic and optical media |
709 | 390 | -319 | -45.0% | $1,831 |
| Household appliances | 108 | 62 | -46 | -42.7% | $1,121 |
| Other electrical equipment, appliances, and components |
483 | 343 | -140 | -29.0% | $1,271 |
| Motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts |
1,272 | 999 | -273 | -21.5% | $1,153 |
| Aerospace products and parts |
579 | 534 | -44 | -7.7% | $1,687 |
| Railroad, ship, and other transportation equipment |
228 | 201 | -27 | -11.8% | $1,220 |
| Furniture and related products | 642 | 388 | -253 | -39.5% | $870 |
| Miscellaneous manufacturing | 727 | 618 | -109 | -15.0% | $1,192 |
| Services | |||||
| Wholesale trade | 5,752 | 5,903 | 151 | 2.6% | $1,210 |
| Retail trade | 14,614 | 15,644 | 1,031 | 7.1% | $715 |
| Transit and ground passenger transportation | 366 | 499 | 134 | 36.6% | $791 |
| Other transportation and warehousing | 3,795 | 5,119 | 1,324 | 34.9% | $1,012 |
| Information | 3,219 | 2,859 | -359 | -11.2% | $1,305 |
| Finance and insurance | 5,632 | 6,425 | 793 | 14.1% | $1,621 |
| Real estate and rental and leasing | 1,934 | 2,321 | 387 | 20.0% | $1,387 |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 6,022 | 9,543 | 3,521 | 58.5% | $1,136 |
| Management of companies and enterprises | 1,760 | 2,427 | 668 | 37.9% | $1,321 |
| Employment support services and building services | 4,707 | 5,806 | 1,099 | 23.4% | $718 |
| Waste management and remediation and other administrative and support services | 2,695 | 3,537 | 842 | 31.2% | $904 |
| Educational services | 2,233 | 3,765 | 1,532 | 68.6% | $1,066 |
| Health care and social assistance | 8,575 | 14,488 | 5,913 | 68.9% | $1,132 |
| Caregiving | 3,762 | 5,925 | 2,163 | 57.5% | $665 |
| Arts, entertainment, and recreation | 1,645 | 2,433 | 788 | 47.9% | $720 |
| Accommodation and food services | 9,586 | 14,143 | 4,556 | 47.5% | $480 |
| Other private services | 5,750 | 6,714 | 964 | 16.8% | $780 |
| Public administration | 19,909 | 22,593 | 2,684 | 13.5% | $954 |
| Addendum, subtotals: | |||||
| Agriculture, mining, utilities | 2,551 | 2,799 | 248 | 9.7% | $1,220 |
| Construction | 6,149 | 7,492 | 1,343 | 21.8% | $1,066 |
| Manufacturing | 17,560 | 12,840 | -4,720 | -26.9% | $1,215 |
| Services | 101,955 | 130,144 | 28,190 | 27.6% | $934 |
*Mean weekly earnings are average hourly wages times mean weekly hours for all workers, by industry. Estimates of real wages (excluding benefits) are based on a pooled four-year sample covering the years 2017 to 2020 in real 2020 dollars.
Sources: EPI analysis of historical employment data from BLS-EP (2020); estimates of jobs supported by industry from trade rebalancing and climate and infrastructure investments from Scott, Mokhiber, and Perez (2020); and wage and earnings data and demographic counts from pooled 2017–2020 Current Population Survey (CPS) Outgoing Rotation Group (ORG) microdata (EPI 2021a).