Investments in climate, infrastructure, and rebalancing trade can create millions of good jobs in manufacturing and construction
| Employment change | Potential job gains from: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industries | 1998–2019 (thousands) | Percent change, 1998–2019 |
Mean weekly earnings* | Climate and infrastructure investments (thousands) | Rebalancing trade (thousands) |
| Total | 25,060.6 | 19.5% | $985.71 | 3,387.1 | 3,508.2 |
| Agriculture, mining, utilities | |||||
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting | 192.6 | 14.0% | $748.49 | 48.3 | 540.3 |
| Oil and gas Extraction | 9.3 | 6.6% | $1,846.05 | 4.6 | 64.0 |
| Mining (except oil and gas) | 110.6 | 26.1% | $1,639.87 | 9.0 | 123.8 |
| Utilities | -64.4 | -10.5% | $1,468.43 | 20.0 | 16.7 |
| Construction | 1,342.8 | 21.8% | $1,066.33 | 426.8 | 44.4 |
| Manufacturing | |||||
| Food manufacturing | 88.3 | 5.7% | $847.89 | 2.9 | 73.1 |
| Beverage and tobacco products |
77.5 | 37.1% | $1,138.40 | 0.4 | 8.9 |
| Textile mills and textile product mills |
-437.2 | -66.3% | $880.78 | 5.9 | 7.6 |
| Apparel, leather, and allied product manufacturing |
-566.6 | -80.4% | $876.25 | 1.2 | -14.6 |
| Wood product manufacturing | -202.8 | -33.2% | $888.94 | 37.5 | 13.6 |
| Paper manufacturing | -259.6 | -41.5% | $1,209.84 | 8.3 | 26.4 |
| Printing and related support activities |
-403.3 | -48.7% | $971.10 | 6.3 | 11.1 |
| Petroleum and coal products | -20.0 | -14.9% | $1,651.45 | 2.6 | 17.4 |
| Chemical manufacturing | -142.8 | -14.4% | $1,622.65 | 25.6 | 122.4 |
| Plastics and rubber products manufacturing |
-204.4 | -21.7% | $1,032.39 | 25.1 | 37.0 |
| Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing |
-113.6 | -21.2% | $1,024.62 | 28.0 | 16.8 |
| Iron and steel mills and steel products from purchased steel |
-72.5 | -33.5% | $1,159.80 | 15.5 | 51.6 |
| Nonferrous metals production and foundries |
-183.9 | -43.3% | $1,082.45 | 29.4 | 151.4 |
| Architectural and structural products; boiler, tank, and shipping containers |
-7.6 | -1.5% | $1,069.51 | 106.0 | 31.6 |
| Other fabricated metal products |
-240.3 | -19.5% | $1,001.63 | 113.6 | 132.4 |
| Agricultural, construction, commercial and service, and metalworking machinery |
-184.6 | -27.2% | $1,310.03 | 17.0 | 86.1 |
| Engine, turbine, and power transmission equipment |
-14.0 | -12.3% | $1,456.82 | 51.4 | 29.2 |
| HVAC and misc. industrial machinery |
-189.3 | -26.3% | $1,191.74 | 184.8 | 68.2 |
| Computer and peripheral equipment |
-159.1 | -49.4% | $2,110.02 | 28.1 | -36.2 |
| Communications and audio and video equipment |
-187.1 | -64.4% | $1,759.03 | 1.7 | 49.3 |
| Navigational measuring, electromedical, and control instruments |
-85.1 | -16.7% | $1,589.92 | 4.6 | 50.6 |
| Semiconductor and other electronic components; reproducing magnetic and optical media |
-319.0 | -45.0% | $1,831.48 | 56.6 | -16.3 |
| Household appliances | -46.2 | -42.7% | $1,120.82 | 18.2 | -0.5 |
| Other electrical equipment, appliances, and components |
-140.3 | -29.0% | $1,271.48 | 240.5 | 44.5 |
| Motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts |
-273.0 | -21.5% | $1,153.34 | 86.7 | 102.1 |
| Aerospace products and parts |
-44.3 | -7.7% | $1,686.54 | 5.6 | 122.1 |
| Railroad, ship, and other transportation equipment |
-26.9 | -11.8% | $1,219.80 | 4.8 | 22.5 |
| Furniture and related products | -253.3 | -39.5% | $869.97 | 7.6 | -17.3 |
| Miscellaneous manufacturing | -109.1 | -15.0% | $1,191.99 | 5.5 | 195.3 |
| Services | |||||
| Wholesale trade | 151.4 | 2.6% | $1,209.95 | 118.6 | 218.6 |
| Retail trade | 1,030.7 | 7.1% | $715.14 | 53.2 | 57.0 |
| Transit and ground passenger transportation | 133.7 | 36.6% | $790.76 | 301.4 | 5.4 |
| Other transportation and warehousing | 1,323.6 | 34.9% | $1,012.35 | 104.4 | 192.2 |
| Information | -359.1 | -11.2% | $1,305.03 | 44.2 | 28.1 |
| Finance and insurance | 793.2 | 14.1% | $1,621.11 | 65.1 | 93.3 |
| Real estate and rental and leasing | 387.1 | 20.0% | $1,386.81 | 26.0 | 42.6 |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 3,521.1 | 58.5% | $1,136.07 | 165.9 | 209.4 |
| Management of companies and enterprises | 667.6 | 37.9% | $1,320.75 | 66.1 | 117.4 |
| Employment support services and building services | 1,099.1 | 23.4% | $717.71 | 141.4 | 140.8 |
| Waste management and remediation and other administrative and support services | 842.0 | 31.2% | $903.83 | 90.8 | 81.8 |
| Educational services | 1,531.5 | 68.6% | $1,065.58 | 289.6 | 4.4 |
| Health care and social assistance | 5,912.5 | 68.9% | $1,132.22 | 2.2 | 2.0 |
| Caregiving | 2,163.0 | 57.5% | $665.02 | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Arts, entertainment, and recreation | 787.9 | 47.9% | $720.15 | 66.8 | 9.7 |
| Accommodation and food services | 4,556.4 | 47.5% | $479.89 | 37.2 | 45.4 |
| Other private services | 964.0 | 16.8% | $779.92 | 23.2 | 34.0 |
| Public administration | 2,684.1 | 13.5% | $954.16 | 160.5 | 50.1 |
| Addendum, subtotals: | |||||
| Agriculture, mining, utilities | 248.1 | 9.7% | $1,220.34 | 81.9 | 744.9 |
| Construction | 1,342.8 | 18.3% | $1,066.33 | 426.8 | 44.4 |
| Manufacturing | -4,720.1 | -26.9% | $1,215.06 | 1,121.5 | 1,386.4 |
| Services | 28,189.8 | 27.6% | $933.95 | 1,756.9 | 1,332.5 |
*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 microdata (EPI 2021a).